Pakistan National Assembly's 'last' session summoned

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani government has summoned a special session of the National Assembly on Monday, likely to be the last before the general elections in the Islamic nation, a daily reported on Saturday.

The unusual and unscheduled session of the Assembly has given rise to speculations about the fate of the Lower House and the government, the 'Dawn' quoted unnamed sources as saying in the capital.

During this special session, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz may advise the dissolution of the Lower House, a move aimed at bringing an interim Prime Minister to the stage, the sources said.

Even President Pervez Musharraf may ask the Prime Minister to step down and nominate his successor who could get a vote of confidence from the National Assembly, according to the sources.

"Hamid Nasir Chattha is a likely candidate for the premiership in the interim set-up if the government succeeds in striking a deal with Pakistan People's Party (PPP) Chairperson Benazir Bhutto," they said.

Some unusual legislation as a result of the possible deal between the PPP and the government may also be tabled in the house, the sources predicted.

However, rejecting the speculations, Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Sher Afghan Khan Niazi said that it was a routine session which would last for about a month to complete its parliamentary calendar days.

"We have 71 days of backlog which we would like to cover before the completion of the tenure of the present Assembly," he was quoted as saying.