Alvi to address joint session tomorrow

Both the houses of parliament would convene in joint session on Monday (tomorrow) evening to mark the beginning of the new parliamentary year, the fourth of the current Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, it was officially announced on Saturday.

President Arif Alvi would address the joint sitting, which would be attended by all members of parliament besides chief justice of Pakistan, services chiefs, advisers and special assistants to the prime ministers, heads of all the constitutional bodies, diplomats and other dignitaries as guests.

Earlier this week, it was announced that the joint session would convene on Monday morning, but now the schedule has been changed and the house will meet at 4 pm Monday. According to the officials, all the lawmakers had been informed about the session, while invitations had been sent to the guests.

Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser will chair the joint sitting, which will be held under strict coronavirus-induced standard operating procedures (SOPs). A rapid covid test counter will be set up at the reception of the Parliament House to facilitate the lawmakers, the officials added.

A comprehensive security plan had also been prepared for the session, the officials said. They added that the parliamentarians had been asked not to bring guests and security staff to the session. A shuttle service will be run for the parliamentarians from the Parliament Lodges to the Parliament House.

A four-layered security pan had been prepared for the session. The Islamabad Police would be placed in the first zone of security, the parliamentary security staff would be in the second zone, the special branch in the third zone, while the Rangers will be deployed in the fourth zone.

The officials said that unauthorised persons would not be allowed to enter the red zone during the joint sitting.