On the other hand, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Murtaza Javed Abbasi Thursday filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), challenging the decision of delaying the lower house session by acting National Assembly Speaker Qasim Suri, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.
Acting Speaker Qasim Suri, National Assembly secretary, and secretary parliamentary affairs have been made respondents in the petition.
It has been maintained in the petition that the acting speaker’s decision of delaying the lower house session from April 16 to April 22 is against the Constitution.
The court has also been urged in the petition to issue directions regarding early convening of the lower house session for the election of the new National Assembly speaker.
Earlier, Acting Speaker Qasim Khan Suri changed the schedule of the lower house session from April 16 to April 22 apparently to delay the election of the new National Assembly speaker.
“The National Assembly session, which was scheduled to be held at 4pm on April 16, will now be held at 3pm on April 22,” said an official handout.
“The change in the schedule has been made by the acting speaker under Rule 49(2) of the Rules and Procedure for the Conduct of the Business in the National Assembly 2007,” it added.
Earlier, a schedule for the election of National Assembly Speaker had been released according to which the new speaker of the assembly was to be elected on April 16.
The nomination papers were to be submitted and scrutinised on April 15.
It is pertinent to mention here that former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser had resigned from his position a few days ago apparently for his reluctance to preside over the assembly session that removed Imran Khan as the leader of the House through a vote of no-confidence.