President Pervez Musharraf has convened for next week the maiden session of National Assembly wherein at least more than half of members are in favour of putting up a challenge to his authoritarian rule.
He signed on Tuesday an advice by caretaker Prime Minister Mohammadmian Soomro to call the meeting of the parliament's lower house to let a coalition of three election winning parties form the government at the Center. The National Assembly is due to meet on March 17. Musharraf's spokesperson Major General Rashid Qureshi (Retd) confirmed to media the convening of the session.
Political analysts argue reinstatement of judges including deposed chief justice Iftikhar Chaudhry means Musharraf will have to again face legal challenges to his last October re-election as president while still holding the military chief's office.
According to past parliamentary practice, the first session will be chaired by Speaker of the outgoing National Assembly Chaudhry Amir Hussain. He will administer the oath to the newly-elected members ahead of election for his replacement out of new electorates.
A deputy for the new Speaker will also be elected during the same session before its prorogation. A fresh meeting will then be called to elect new prime minister, a slot for which Pakistan People's Party is still considering options to pick a candidate.
APP ADDS: President Pervez Musharraf convened the sessions of national and provincial assemblies on March 17. "The summary reached the president yesterday evening. In the morning I thought that at the earliest we should call the sessions on March 17," President Musharraf said while addressing at the first convocation of Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE) here. President said he had signed the summary sent to him by caretaker Prime Minister Muhammadmian Soomro yesterday to summon the sessions of National Assembly and provincial assemblies.