RAWALPINDI: The National Assembly to be elected on October 5 for framing the new Constitution will have 313 Members — with thirteen seats reserved for women and the various provinces getting representation on the basis of the 1961 Census, President Yahya disclosed in his broadcast to the nation this evening [March 28].

The Legal Framework Order 1970 which will form the main basis for the operation of the National Assembly, he said, will be published on Monday (March 30). It lays down that the Constitution must preserve the ideology of Islam and be Federal in character.

The President also announced to hold the provincial elections no later than October 22, but the Assemblies will start functioning after the Constitution has been framed and authenticated. The President announced that West Pakistan would revert, as closely as possible, to the pre-One Unit position. The administration of each new province will become fully operational by July 1. An order setting out all the relevant details will be published shortly.

Published in Dawn, March 29th, 2020