Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf has summoned the first session of the newly-elected National Assembly tomorrow (Thursday) after President Dr Arif Alvi refused to sign the summary to convene the maiden session.

According to a notification issued by the speaker, the session will begin at 10 am on Thursday.

According to the constitution, the session of the new assembly must be called within 21 days of the general election. With elections having been conducted on February 8, the deadline to summon the Assembly session was set for February 29.

The notification comes after a prolonged stalemate between the caretaker government and President Alvi.

The session is supposed to be called by the president based on a summary from the ministry of parliamentary affairs.

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The ministry, currently headed by Murtaza Solangi, had sent the summary to Alvi who had refused to act on it, citing the house’s composition still not being complete.

Alvi had said that all of the Houses reserved seats for minorities and women have still not been allocated.

The government had responded that calling the session was a constitutinoal duty for the president and could not be put off under any circumstance.

President Alvi had been reminded by the government that Article 91 did not make an exception for the house being incomplete, and the power to stop sessions under Article 54 did not include the inaugural session.

The first session will include an oath-taking ceremony for the newly-elected legislators on the first day. The following days of the session will include elections for the posts of speaker, deputy speaker as well as prime minister.

Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz has already joined hands with the Pakistan Peoples Party and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement to be able to form government in the centre. Sunni Ittehad Council, made up of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf candidates elected as independents, is likely to form the bulk of the opposition.