Musharraf summons National Assemblies to meet on March 17

ISLAMABAD, March 11 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has summoned the National and Provincial Assemblies to meet on March 17, local TV channel DAWN NEWS reported on Tuesday.

Musharraf has signed the summary sent by caretaker Prime Minister Muhammadmian Soomro to convene the first session of the National Assembly and provincial assemblies after general elections, said the report.

Pakistan's two major parties, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), signed a joint declaration on the formation of new government on Sunday.

The two parties agreed to form the government in the center and also Punjab province and urged the authorities to summon the first session of the National Assembly as soon as possible.

ISLAMABAD, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's political stability is the top priority and a war between the presidency and the newly-elected parliament would be catastrophic, said Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf in an interview with Washington Times published on Monday.

"I'm looking forward to working with this government for the full five years," Musharraf told Washington Times in Rawalpindi city on Wednesday. Full story

ISLAMABAD, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan's caretaker Prime Minister Mohammedmian Soomro on Monday sent a summary to President Pervez Musharraf, advising him to convene the new parliament session.

According to the constitution, Musharraf has to convene the National Assembly session on the advice of the prime minister. Full story

ISLAMABAD, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Two major political parties eventually clinched a deal on the formation of new government in the center and provinces in Pakistan on Sunday, local media reported on Monday.

The Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which emerged as the two largest parties in the National Assembly in the general elections, on Sunday signed a joint summit declaration, paving the way for the formation of the new government in the country. Full story

ISLAMABAD, March 10 (Xinhua) -- Despite an agreement between Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on the formation of Pakistan's new government on Sunday, the Pakistani people have become more doubtful as to who will become their new Prime Minister (PM).

After a three-hour meeting in Murree city, administered by the garrison city of Rawalpindi, the PPP and PML-N agreed to form a coalition government in the center and Punjab province. They also said that all allied parties would fully support the PM candidate fielded by the PPP. Full story

ISLAMABAD, March 9 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani's two leading political leaders said Sunday that they had agreed to form a coalition government with the prime minister from the Pakistan People's Party (PPP).

"We undertake to form a coalition together for Pakistan, as the people of Pakistan had given mandate to the democratic forces on February 18," said Nawaz Sharif, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) at the news conference after his meeting with PPPCo-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari at the scenic town of Murree in eastern Pakistan. Full story