ISLAMABAD: The delayed spring session of the National Assembly will begin on Monday (today) and opposition is flexing its muscles to give a tough time to the government on the floor of the house over a host of issues, including the recent changes in the federal cabinet, proposed amnesty scheme and increase in oil prices.

The National Assembly, which is meeting after nearly seven weeks, was earlier scheduled to go into session on April 12, but the session was abruptly postponed at the eleventh hour by President Arif Alvi without assigning any reason, prompting a strong reaction by the opposition parties which alleged that the government had delayed the session only to pave way for introducing a tax amnesty scheme through a presidential ordinance.

No one from the government denied the opposition’s allegations.

However, Prime Minister Imran Khan had to delay the plan to introduce the amnesty scheme after discussing the matter in the cabinet for two consecutive days after a number of ministers expressed reservations and sought time for more deliberations on the proposed scheme.

The NA session is beginning at a time when both Prime Minister Imran Khan and Opposition Leader Shahbaz Sharif are not present in the country. Mr Khan is currently in Iran on an official visit whereas Mr Sharif is living in London.

Talking to Dawn here on Sunday, Pakistan Peoples Party leader Khurshid Shah said a joint meeting of all the opposition parties had been convened on Monday to devise a strategy for the coming NA session. The meeting has been called despite the fact that Shahbaz Sharif is in London.

Mr Shah said they had been informed that Mr Sharif would return next week. He said all the opposition parties had unanimity of views over present state of affairs in the country.

Meanwhile, the NA Secretariat on Sunday issued a 16-point agenda for the Monday’s opening day sitting of the lower house of parliament.

The agenda includes laying of the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council Ordinance, 2019, and introduction of three government bills. The agenda also includes presentation of three reports of standing committees, second quarterly report of the Board of Directors of State Bank of Pakistan on the state of Economy for the year 2018-19 and the annual report of the Competition Commission of Pakistan, certified by the auditors for the years ended 2013 and 2014.

Published in Dawn, April 22nd, 2019