Embattled Prime Minister Imran Khan faced a no-confidence vote today, which he tried to avoid, but the National Assembly will ultimately decide his fate.
With the opposition requesting 220 seats from the assembly secretariat to accommodate their members, the former international cricket star who became prime minister following the 2018 general elections is almost certain to face a no-confidence vote following the defection of a coalition partner, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), and several members of his own party.
In a nationwide address hours before the no-trust vote, Imran Khan said he accepted the Supreme Court ruling that will almost certainly result in his removal from office, but insisted he was the victim of a “regime change” plot involving the US.
The Supreme Court ordered the National Assembly session on Thursday after ruling that Imran Khan acted illegally by dissolving the assembly and calling fresh elections after National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri refused to allow an earlier no-confidence vote due to “foreign interference.”
After the speech of FM Qureshi, NA speaker Asad Qaiser adjourns the session till 12:30 pm.
Agenda of the National Assembly
The National Assembly session has been convened at 10:30 a.m. today, in accordance with the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s order. The assembly secretariat issued a notification in this regard on Friday.
It has been revealed that voting on the opposition’s no-confidence motion is one of the six points on the agenda. Aside from the no-trust motion, the agenda also included a question-and-answer session, a call to attention notice, and a point of order.
Under Article 95, the speaker will hold a vote on the no-confidence motion submitted by the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif.
Warning to the opposition
Once bitten, twice shy, the Opposition has threatened Imran Khan with contempt of court if he resorts to new gimmicks to avoid voting.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari stated that if they try to sabotage the constitutional process of a vote of no confidence again, the constitution will be violated for the second time.
Marriyum Aurangzeb, a PML-N spokesperson, had warned Prime Minister Imran Khan against contempt of court, claiming that the government had lost its mental balance and Imran Khan and his ministers had become “suicide bombers.”
Marriyum stated that the no-confidence motion will be voted on in the National Assembly on Saturday, according to the court order, and that if voting is stopped or obstructed again, it will be considered contempt of court.
Marriyum went on to say that the Supreme Court had issued a clear order and that the PTI-led government should not be forced to force public officials and government employees to commit contempt of court.
The confidence vote on Saturday comes after opposition lawmakers filed a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly last Sunday in an attempt to depose Imran Khan from power. However, the deputy speaker quickly blocked the vote, citing “foreign interference.” Qasim Suri also claimed that it violated the constitution, which requires loyalty to the state.
Imran Khan’s government then dissolved parliament and called for a snap election.
Several opposition members were enraged, with some accusing the prime minister of “treason” for obstructing the vote.
Opposition leaders petitioned the Supreme Court to investigate the situation.
The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that Imran Khan’s decision to halt the vote was unconstitutional. It directed that the no-confidence vote be held again on Saturday, April 9th, today.
The former international cricketer is expected to lose Saturday’s no-confidence vote. If Imran Khan is deposed, the opposition parties will appoint a new prime minister who will hold power until October 2023, when a new election is scheduled.
PM-in-waiting
Shehbaz Sharif, the brother of three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the likely replacement for Imran Khan, said the decision “saved Pakistan and the constitution.”
“Democracy is the best retribution,” PPP leader Bilawal Zardari Bhutto, a descendant of another political dynasty, tweeted.
A successful vote could also pave the way for PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif to make a comeback, as he has not returned from Britain since being released from prison in 2019 to seek medical treatment abroad.
Following graft revelations, he was barred from holding public office by the Supreme Court and sentenced to ten years in prison by an accountability court.
