The Hindu : Pak. Opposition for special session

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 13, 2003

International

International

Pak. Opposition for special session

By B. Muralidhar Reddy

ISLAMABAD NOV. 12. The Pakistan National Assembly has created history of sorts by adopting just one bill (Finance) that became an Act and passing another for consideration by the Upper House of Parliament in a span of one year it has been in existence.

The National Assembly was adjourned sine die on Tuesday and is not likely to be convened this year.

It sat continuously for 84 days to fulfil the constitutional requirements, though it was boycotted by the combined Opposition pressing for the resignation of the President, Pervez Musharraf, as Army Chief and reversal of constitutional amendments made by him.

Hours later, the Opposition mooted the idea of requisitioning a special session of the National Assembly and the Senate. Leaders of the Opposition are scheduled to meet in Lahore on November 15 to discuss submitting of requisition notices for both the Assembly and Senate sessions.

It is not clear what prevented the Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali Government from going ahead with legislative business in the National Assembly especially when the Opposition was not present in the House.

The Prime Minister, Mr. Jamali, raised hackles in the Opposition ranks when he expressed his displeasure over the functioning of Parliament. He advised them to give up their `confrontationist' path and return to the House.

The legislative performance of the National Assembly is poor compared to the last five Parliaments since 1985.

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