President Asif Ali Zardari is currently addressing a joint sitting of Parliament in Islamabad.
This is his ninth address to a joint session of Parliament in his capacity as president.
President Zardari began his address by saying that it was his “singular privilege” to address the house for the ninth time at the beginning of the new parliamentary year.
“Each such address is a reminder of the continuity of the democratic system and the responsibility we carry as representatives of the people of Pakistan,” he said.
“The past year has reminded us that the strength of our republic lies in its Constitution,” he said.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is present for the president’s address. Further, the president’s son, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, and daughter, MNA Aseefa Bhutto-Zardari, are also present.
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, Punjab Governor Haider Ali, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, and Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori are also in attendance, in addition to National Assembly Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai.
More to follow
