ISLAMABAD, Feb 19: The speaker National Assembly has been asked to cut short his foreign tour and head home so that he is available in time to take over as acting president in the absence of Gen Pervez Musharraf.
Chaudhry Amir Hussain, the NA speaker, was to return home on Feb 24, according to his original plan. But as the president is expected to travel to Malaysia on Feb 23 to attend the Non Aligned Movement (NAM) summit, he (the speaker) has been asked to shorten his trip and fly back home by Feb 22, official sources told Dawn on Wednesday.
The NAM summit is scheduled for Feb 24-26.
Mr Hussain had left early this month for Geneva to attend a conference of World Trade Organisation (WTO), and on completion of his official engagements, he proceeded to Saudi Arabia to perform Haj.
After performing Haj, he flew to London on a private trip, deputy speaker Sardar Mohammad Yaqub told Dawn, adding that he had planned to stay there for a few days and was expected to come back on Feb 24.
However, after being summoned by the government of Pakistan through diplomatic channels, he is expected to return home on Feb 22 before the president’s departure.
Meanwhile, work on the preparation of the National Assembly agenda is also pending because of the speaker’s absence. The NA has been summoned by the president to meet from Feb 26.
Deputy speaker Sardar Mohammad Yaqub told Dawn that the assembly, under the original plan, was expected to last for 14 days during which the normal agenda would be disposed of.
On the opening day, ten MNAs elected in the by-elections will take oath of their office, followed by the seeking of permission of the house for special proceedings the next day for Senate polls.
According to the assembly sources, it had received a large number of questions, adjournment motions and several resolutions, the majority of which concerned the Iraq crisis.
The speaker will issue order of the day one day before the start of the assembly proceedings, which will include the proposed agenda of the proceedings, an official of the assembly secretariat said.
