President to address Parliament’s joint sitting on Tuesday

ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari will become the first democratically elected head of the State in history of the country who will address the joint sitting of the Parliament on March 22 (Tuesday) for the consecutive fourth time on the advent of new parliamentary year. Speaker National Assembly Dr Fehmida Mirza will chair the joint session of Parliament at 4.00 pm evening.All the provincial governors, chief ministers, speakers of provincial assemblies, President and Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Governor and Chief Minister of Gilgit Baltistan, Services chiefs, Chief Justice of Pakistan, State Bank governor, constitutional heads of all government organizations and Heads of prominent political parties including Mian Nawaz Sharif, Munawar Hassan and Mehmood Khan Achakzai have been invited to attend the session.It would be fourth consecutive address of the President to the joint sitting of the Parliament since PPP led government took over in 2008.As per parliamentary traditions,President Zardari will address the both houses of the Parliament with beginning of new democratic year.Earlier, President Zardari had addressed the parliament on September 20, 2008, March 28, 2009 and on April 5, 2010.Political pundits said that the forthcoming President address to the parliament would be a milestone in democratic history of the country.They said that the forth consecutive address of the President is the reflection of strengthening of democracy and democratic institutions in the country.They said the current Parliament has the credit of landmark legislation and passing of unanimously both 18th and 19th amendments by restoring the 1973 constitution in its actual form – APP