ISLAMABAD – President Asif Ali Zardari will address the joint sitting of the parliament on Thursday.
The joint session has been summoned to meet at four pm.
Under Article 56 (3) of the Constitution, the President shall address a joint session of Parliament at the commencement of the parliamentary year after general elections.
This will be President Asif Ali Zardari’s record seventh address to the joint sitting of the National Assembly and Senate. During his five-year stint in the Presidency from 2008 to 2013, he had already addressed the parliament six times.
This upcoming address marks President Zardari’s seventh appearance before the joint session of the National Assembly and Senate. Throughout his previous term as President from September 2008 to 2013, he addressed the parliament six times. Notably, his sixth address on April 16, 2013, set a record, as no other president had spoken before the joint session as frequently.
Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf’s aversion to the National Assembly provided President Zardari with an additional opportunity to address the joint session, granting him a sixth appearance instead of the customary five.
During his presidency, Gen Musharraf addressed the joint session only once in 2004 amidst vehement opposition protests, never returning to the parliament until his resignation in August 2008.
Even after the February 2008 elections, he did not convene a joint session, leaving this constitutional obligation to be fulfilled by President Zardari. Subsequently, his successors Mamnoon Hussain and Dr. Arif Alvi upheld the tradition of addressing the joint session at the onset of each parliamentary year.
President Zardari is anticipated to encounter robust opposition from members affiliated with the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI). The party has been actively protesting against the conviction and detention of its founding chairman, former Prime Minister Imran Khan, as well as alleging rigging in the February 8 general elections.
