President Asif Ali Zardari is set to address the joint sitting of the Parliament of Pakistan today (Thursday) at 4:00 pm. This marks the beginning of the new parliamentary year after the general elections of 2024.
The joint session of parliament is being called under Article 56(3) of the Constitution of Pakistan. Additionally, the President has called for the National Assembly session on the next day, Friday, at 10:30 am, under Article 54(1) of the Constitution.
This joint sitting of Parliament will be his record seventh address to the National Assembly and the Senate of Pakistan. earlier, during his five years in the Presidency- 2008 to 2013 -he addressed the parliament six times.
It should be noted that this session is the first joint session following the start of the new parliamentary year, after the election of members to both the upper and lower houses constitutionally. Despite elections taking place on February 8, former President Arif Alvi was unable to summon a joint session as Senate polls were yet to be conducted. However, President Zardari called for the joint session weeks after his oath of the President’s office and the successful conduct of Senate polls.
Previously, Mr. Arif Alvi had summoned a joint session of the parliament on October 6, 2022, months after a coalition government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif was governing the center. However, the then-President had called the session to mark the beginning of the last parliamentary year of the then-National Assembly in 2022.
During the former President’s speech, the audience initially consisted of only 15 lawmakers, which later decreased to 12. His address was marred by an unannounced boycott by the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP), and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F). Despite this, the former President stressed the need for dialogue and urged to end polarization amid the country’s growing political instability, stating that “Polarization doesn’t end with stubbornness.”
