ISLAMABAD, July 19: The Senate will begin its next session on August 2 and the National Assembly on August 4, it was officially announced on Wednesday as Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sher Afgan Khan Niazi denied that the National Assembly session had been delayed.

President Pervez Musharraf has summoned the Senate to meet at 5pm on Aug 2 for its 30th session, an announcement by the Senate secretariat said.

In a separate statement, Mr Niazi said the National Assembly’s 37th session was due to commence on Aug 4 under a revised schedule of sessions of the house.

He was reacting to a Dawn report on Wednesday that said the government had delayed the National Assembly session from a tentative schedule of July 17, calling it “incorrect and misleading”.