ISLAMABAD: Members of the opposition staged a walk-out during the first joint session of the Parliament as President Arif Alvi addressed the lawmakers in his maiden address to the Parliament.
The president stressed on PTI’s manifesto of eradicating corruption, minimising costs and practising austerity as protesting members of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) created a ruckus on the floor and exited the assembly hall.
The first joint session of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government is being chaired by Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser. Lawmakers, including Prime Minister Imran Khan, arrived at the venue for the first presidential address.
The session began with a moment of silence and prayer for the late Kulsoom Nawaz.
Previously, the session was to be conducted on September 13 but witnessed an inevitable delay as former premier Nawaz Sharif arranged for the funeral of his wife Kulsoom Nawaz.
The session was the scheduled for today.
According to the Article 54(1) of the Constitution, the president may summon either one House or both Houses of the Parliament in joint sitting to meet at such time and place as he thinks fit and may also prorogue the same.
According to constitutional provisions, the president has also to address a joint session of Parliament at the beginning of the first session of the NA after general election as well as the first sitting of the NA every parliamentary year.
