The constitutionally backed established annual parliamentary ritual of the president's address to the joint sitting of parliament will not be revived till Pervez Musharraf holds the office of the head of the state. “The president will never choose to deliver his parliamentary address in such a hostile environment in the National Assembly and Senate,” a senior official, who is in touch with Musharraf, told Saudi Gazette. National Assembly Speaker Dr. Fehmida Mirza is keen to invite Musharraf to fulfill his constitutional obligation of addressing the joint session. Her keenness and intention to urge the prime minister to request the president to be face to face with parliament has turned out to be an embarrassment for Musharraf and served as a severe taunt to him. The official said that when Musharraf always avoided to even face the previous handpicked National Assembly for most of the years of its existence, he would never venture to address the present Lower House that was packed with his lethal opponents. As senior leaders of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), which leads the federal ruling coalition, have publicly restated their rejection of Musharraf, they would not shield him against the onslaught that would certainly come on him from Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) legislators if the president ever dared to deliver his annual speech. The official said that Musharraf also knows that as he has increasingly become cornered and irrelevant in the new unfriendly setup, it would be imprudent for him to have an encounter with the joint parliamentary session. Additionally, he said, after the induction of an inhospitable setup the president has preferred a low profile to escape more brickbats. Already, the attack he is facing is too great and ruthless. In the five-year tenure of the previous National Assembly, Musharraf addressed the joint sitting just once that had turned out to be an extremely stormy session. At the end of his speech, a perspiring Musharraf had raised his fist in the air showing that he was composed and unruffled and could courageously face a crowd of his opponents. The constant protest of a small band of PML-N MPs, Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal and PPP had kept Musharraf away from the joint sitting. Now, the PML-N and PPP are exceedingly emboldened because of their numerical strength in the National Assembly than before, and might create a scene in the joint session that was never witnessed earlier if Musharraf addressed it. His predecessors including General Ziaul Haq and Ghulam Ishaq had regularly delivered their annual parliamentary addresses although they had faced a lot of hullabaloo during their speeches. Under Article 56 of the Constitution, the president may address either the Senate or the National Assembly or both houses assembled together and may for that purpose require the attendance of the MPs. After the commencement of the first session after each general election and at the commencement of the first session of each year the president shall address the joint session. After 1985 when the president became powerful courtesy of the constitutional amendments, his annual parliamentary speeches used to reflect his strong views on the performance of the government of the day. __
