PDM chief Fazlur Rehman asks President Alvi to resign

• Alvi's own party boycotted his speech today, says PDM chief.
• Arif Alvi should resign immediately, says Fazlur Rehman.
• Earlier, President Arif Alvi addressed joint session of parliament.

Following President Arif Alvi’s mandatory address to the parliament which attended only 15 lawmakers, PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman demanded president Arif Alvi to resign.

Taking to Twitter, the JUI-F head said that President has no authority to be in the seat as his party members boycotted his speech during the joint session of parliament.

Fazlur Rehman called Arif Alvi selected and violator of the constitution and said his party lawmaker boycotted his speech at the beginning of the parliamentary year.

"Therefore Alvi has no authority to remain on the post and should resign immediately," he tweeted.

President Alvi demands free and fair election

While addressing a joint session of the Parliament to mark the beginning of the last parliamentary year of the current National Assembly, President Arif Alvi reiterated that free and fair elections remain in demand, suggesting the adoption of Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) to ensure transparency in the electoral process.

“How will Pakistan stabilise, if every election is challenged,” he questioned, adding that polarisation should be addressed because this is the year of elections.

Details of the session

President Alvi addressed the session with the hall nearly empty. There were only 15 lawmakers in the audience during the President's speech, which was later reduced to 12. Undeterred by the scanty audience, the president pressed ahead with his address.

Some of the PTI defectors were also present in the hall. Speaker asked the members to take their seats. Balochistan Awami Party lawmakers were in attendance too, while those from the PML-N, PPP, and JUI-F boycotted the President's address without any warning.

On the other hand, PTI's members of the Parliament said they boycotted the session because they did not believe in this assembly. Out of 422, only 14 lawmakers were in the hall during the President's address.