The National Assembly opens its doors to new lawmakers today (Saturday). PHOTO: FILE
ISLAMABAD:
History will be made today at 10:00am when Pakistan will witness its first ever democratic transition from one elected government to the next.
With a simple majority in the 342-member National Assembly, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz will take on the helm of affairs at a time when Pakistan is facing myriad problems from militancy to a shaky economy, worsening power crisis and failing public education and healthcare systems.
The stage is set and arrangements have been made for the oath taking ceremony of the newly elected members of the National Assembly for the 14th National Assembly and the beginning of a five-year term for the lawmakers.
The June 1 session will be distinctive as among the victors is two-time prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Nawaz Sharif, who is on his way to become the first person to hold the post of Prime Minister for the third time.
Unlike its predecessors, PML-N has secured a simple majority contrary to pre-poll projections and is going to be in a far more comfortable position than the outgoing Pakistan Peoples Party-led government, which had to deal with diverse, and demanding, coalition partners.
According to the tentative schedule issued by the National Assembly Secretariat, the lower house of Parliament’s session will begin with outgoing Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza administering the oath to the newly elected members.
However, the oath will not be administered to all 342 members. Around 10 reserved seats for women in the lower house are still vacant as Nawaz’s party secured more seats than it anticipated and therefore didn’t have enough candidates for the reserved seats.
As a result, the PML-N had to submit a revised list of its candidates for these seats and the deadline set by the Election Commission of Pakistan to accept fresh nomination papers expires on June 1.
Besides that, there are nine constituencies where elections were either terminated, , results were withheld or are still awaited or re-polling was declared.
There is one exception, as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan will not be able attend the session as he is recuperating from injuries he sustained in a fall at an election rally in Lahore a few days before the May 11 polls.
The National Assembly will also be occupied by around 190 first time MNAs and will witness the return of some veteran politicians, particularly some disgruntled Baloch leaders who were not a part of the system during the previous five years.
Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai, former railways minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed, former premier Mir Zafarullah Jamali and Pakistan Muslim League-Zia leader Ijazul Haq are to name a few who have made a comeback in the National Assembly.
Following the oath taking ceremony, there will be a roll signing ceremony and the session will then be adjourned for Monday.
In the meantime, nomination papers will be filed for the election of Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the NA. On June 4, nomination papers for the election of the new prime minister will be filed, which will likely culminate in the new premier taking oath on June 5.
No decision on Cabinet
However, the PML-N has not taken any decision as yet regarding the composition of the federal Cabinet, despite continuing media speculation.
“The Cabinet has not been finalised yet. All media reports are speculative,” PML-N Deputy Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal told The Express Tribune. Iqbal was being mentioned by some media reports as the next information minister.
Responding to a question, Iqbal said that “it is the prerogative of the prime minister to choose his team. If I am chosen by the prime minister my preference would be to work in an area of my expertise where I could make some tangible contribution.”
Though there is no formal schedule of when the new premier will take oath, Iqbal said it was likely that Nawaz will take oath on June 5.
When pressed on the formation of the Cabinet, he said the decision will be taken as soon as possible as the budget session for the next fiscal year is slated for next week.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 1st, 2013.
COMMENTS (5)
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^ And against everyone else including the the prime minister to be. If you target one individual, its only going to divide this nation further with certain communities and ethnicity thinking that they have been marginalized and that their 'leader/s" are being tried only because they hail from a particular region. I have no doubt in my mind that zardari and his sister are corrupt must be tried but not at the expense of feelings of the people of Sindh; instead there should be same accountability measures and criteria for each and every politician in this country. One law and one judicial system for all, which unfortunately does not seem to be case with this CJP/SC.
@Enough of old Regime: Noora is time tested friend of our respectable “President” (for the past five years). PML (n) doesn't have the moral or political will to remove him.
alas...
it could have been so different....
same old story...
how sad for pakistan...
kpk only hope
The 1st thing the house should do is to impeach respectable "President" if they are honest with Nation and believe in change of attitude. All cases of corruption against him and sister should be opened.
"Unlike its predecessors, PML-N has secured a simple majority contrary to pre-poll projections..."
This isn't exactly true.