ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has summoned sessions of the National Assembly and Senate next week, where the government is expected to brief legislators on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir’s recent visit to the United States and the newly signed defence agreement with Saudi Arabia.
According to a notification, in exercise of powers conferred by clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution, the president has summoned the National Assembly to meet at the Parliament House on Sept 29 (Monday) at 5pm.
The upcoming sitting will be a regular session; earlier, a session had been called to discuss issues related to floods.
It is worth mentioning that PM Shehbaz addressed the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly during his visit to the United States. On the occasion, he, along with Field Marshal Asim Munir, held meetings with US President Donald Trump and other key figures.
These meetings are being closely analysed in India, where there is a debate about the potential benefits for Pakistan and possible implications for India. Legislators are expected to be taken into confidence about the visit and the discussions held in the US.
Similarly, lawmakers may be briefed about the recently signed defence agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, which has drawn international attention.
Meanwhile, National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has convened a meeting of parliamentary leaders at the Parliament House on Monday at 4pm to discuss and finalise the agenda for the NA session. All parliamentary leaders have been notified about the meeting, which will be chaired by the speaker.
In another development, exercising his powers under clause (1) of Article 54 of the Constitution, President Zardari has summoned the Senate to meet at the Parliament House Sept 30 (Tuesday) at 4pm.
On the other hand, the main opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, has already announced a boycott of the parliamentary sessions and is therefore unlikely to attend.
PTI leader Asad Qaiser told Dawn his party would not attend the meeting of parliamentary parties called by the NA speaker. He said the party would deliberate on attending the NA session only if it was confirmed that there would be a debate on the US visit and agreement with the Saudi Arabia.
“At the moment we have decided to hold session outside the assembly hall because we are not allowed to speak and a person who has nothing to do with parliament expunging our speeches ,” he said.
Published in Dawn, September 28th, 2025
