ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari has summoned sessions of the National Assembly and Senate for Tuesday, October 13, at 6:15pm at Parliament House in Islamabad, according to an official announcement.
Both houses are expected to take up the federal government’s decision to impose emergency and governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with parliamentary approval required under the Constitution to sustain the measures.
The emergency was proclaimed under Article 232 of the Constitution, while governor’s rule was imposed under Article 234 following the federal government’s decision to assume control of provincial affairs.
Under Article 232, an emergency proclamation issued by the president on his own must be placed before both houses of Parliament for approval within 10 days.
The Constitution also requires the proclamation to be laid before a joint sitting of Parliament, which must be summoned within 30 days. The emergency ceases to remain in force after two months unless approved by a resolution of the joint sitting.
Article 234 deals with the failure of constitutional machinery in a province. It allows the president to assume provincial government functions or direct the governor to exercise those functions on his behalf. The provision also allows the powers of the provincial assembly to be exercised by or under the authority of Parliament.
A proclamation under Article 234 must be laid before a joint sitting of Parliament and ceases to remain in force after two months unless approved by a resolution of that sitting.
The proclamation may be extended through further resolutions, each for a period not exceeding two months, but cannot remain in force for more than six months.
The two constitutional provisions prescribe distinct procedures for parliamentary scrutiny. While Article 232 requires approval by each house within 10 days when the president issues an emergency proclamation on his own, Article 234 requires approval by a joint sitting within two months for governor’s rule to continue.
The summoning of the National Assembly and Senate for Tuesday does not, by itself, confirm whether a joint sitting will also be convened or whether the proclamations will be put to a vote during the scheduled sessions.
