President likely to interact with PML MNAs: National Assembly to meet from Friday

President General Pervez Musharraf is most likely to resume interaction with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League legislators during the National Assembly session, beginning from April 7.
Under clause (1) of Article-54 of the Constitution, President Musharraf has summoned the Assembly to meet at Parliament House on Friday at 4 pm.
The government is likely to face tough time during the spring session on many issues and, on top of all, will be the price spiral of essential commodities such as sugar, ghee, meat and soft drinks.
General Musharraf is expected to interact with PML parliamentarians on the party's future line of action and the seething differences among some members, sources told Business Recorder on Monday. Musharraf had similar exercise in 2004 in the Parliament House in his chamber.
"There is growing anxiety among party leaders and workers. President Musharraf has felt that it is time to take them into confidence. He would like to take them on board on the delayed cabinet reshuffle," sources said.
"We will raise the issue of Musharraf skipping the constitutional requirement of addressing Parliament's both houses' joint sitting during the coming session," Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal (MMA) Deputy Secretary-General Hafiz Hussain said.
He said if Musharraf could hold talks with parliamentarians inside Parliament, "why is he shy of entering the Assembly?"
Musharraf fulfilled the requirement in 2004 after the passage of the 17th constitutional amendment and afterwards linked it to opposition's proper behaviour. Under the Constitution, each new parliamentary year is marked by presidential address to the special sitting of the two houses.
President Musharraf and linchpins of the party kicked off a campaign for next year's election from Lahore a few days back, while mentioning the much-boasted 'economic turnaround', asking masses to reject both Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif.
With diminishing interests of the members, particularly those from the ruling coalition in the Parliament, government benches might have to face difficulty in ensuring quorum in the House.
The recent meetings of Pakistan People's Party and Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leaders in Dubai and London could have impact on the environment in the Assembly.
Meanwhile, 16 MNAs, belonging to the Alliance for Restoration of Democracy (ARD), filed a privilege motion with the National Assembly Secretariat against Cabinet Division's circular asking government functionaries and parliamentarians not to interact with Indian High Commission without informing the government.
The ARD has contended in the motion that under Rule-56 of the Rules of Business of the Government, parliamentarians, who are public representatives, cannot be issued such circular.
The motion said that since there was mention of government functionaries only, the issuance of the circular to the legislators was breach of their privilege. "The matter is of urgent importance; therefore, it should be referred to House Standing Committee of Privileges," it said.
The following signed the motion: Aitzaz Ahsan, Pervaiz Ashraf, Nayyar Bokhari, Pervaiz Malik, Khawaja Asif, Naheed Khan, Sherry Rehman, Khurshid Shah, Nisar Ali Khan, Khalid Iqbal Memon, Naveed Qamar, Qamar Zaman, Fauzia Wahab, Manzoor Ahmed, Yousaf Talpur and Ghulam Murtaza Satti.
Last week, Pakistan People's Party Parliamentarians had submitted an adjournment motion on rising cement prices. It said that its rate per sack had increased from Rs 270 per to Rs 340. The party has sought a thorough debate in the House on the issue.
The opposition stood vindicated on its prediction that after sugar crisis, cement price hike would hit the country.