ISLAMABAD: Parliament meets in a joint sitting today to formally ratify governor’s rule and the emergency imposed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, completing the constitutional process for measures taken last weekend.
President Asif Ali Zardari summoned the joint sitting of the Majlis-e-Shoora for 11:00 am at Parliament House. Lawmakers are expected to consider government resolutions under Articles 232 and 234 of the Constitution, which cover the proclamation of emergency and the assumption of provincial functions by the governor.
The sitting follows approval in both houses on Wednesday. The National Assembly endorsed the emergency proclamation by a majority vote after Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry moved the resolution. The Senate gave its backing later the same day.
Addressing the National Assembly, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said placing the proclamation before the House and securing its approval was a constitutional requirement. He said the emergency had become unavoidable because of internal disturbances in the province and the provincial government’s lack of seriousness towards terrorism.
Tarar told the House that 3,787 terrorist incidents had been recorded in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa over the past year. He added that the governor had written to the president and the prime minister complaining that the provincial administration was giving priority to political activity over counterterrorism.
Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif said the government had no option but to impose the emergency, and reaffirmed its resolve to fight terrorism with full force.
Opposition members protested throughout Wednesday’s proceedings, wearing black ribbons and carrying placards rejecting governor’s rule. Some warned that the precedent could be used against other provinces.
The federal government imposed the emergency and governor’s rule on October 11, suspending the PTI-led provincial administration. It says the step was a last resort to protect lives and property in a province hit hard by militancy.
Related: National Assembly backs emergency in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
