ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly (NA) will hold its inaugural session today.
Earlier, the NA Secretariat had summoned a session following the refusal of the president. A formal notification was issued on Wednesday, stating that the session would start at 10 am.
However, in a late-night development, President Arif Alvi also approved a summary calling for a session on Thursday morning.
Sources said that the newly-elected members will also be given a red carpet-welcome in the inaugural session. Former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, former President Asif Ali Zardari, Abdul Aleem Khan, and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf have been allotted seats on the front line of government benches.
On the other hand, Omar Ayub, former speaker Asad Qaiser, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and Mahmood Khan Achakzai will sit in the front row of the opposition benches.
When the house meets today, the incumbent speaker, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, will administer oath to the lawmakers-elect. The house will be adjourned after this exercise.
On the second day, the election for the speaker and his deputy will be held before noon, and the pair will be administered the oath the same day. On the third day of the session, parliamentarians will select a leader of the house or prime minister.
Shehbaz Sharif is the joint candidate for the PM slot against PTI-backed Omar Ayub while Ayaz Sadiq will contest the speaker election against PTI-backed Amir Dogar.
PPP lawmaker Ghulam Mustafa Shah will vie for the deputy speaker slot as a joint candidate of the PML-N and the PPP. The PPP and PML-N reached a power-sharing deal last week after the former agreed to support Shehbaz Sharif for the PM seat in return for governorships and Senate chairman slot.
