Islamabad, April 3
In a highly controversial move, Pakistan’s embattled Prime Minister Imran Khan stunned a determined Opposition on Sunday by recommending snap elections, minutes after a no-confidence motion against him was dismissed by the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly.
Prime Minister Khan, who had effectively lost majority in the 342-member National Assembly, made a brief address to the nation after a stormy parliament session was adjourned by Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri.
Khan congratulated the nation for the no-trust motion being dismissed, saying the Deputy Speaker had “rejected the attempt of changing the regime [and] the foreign conspiracy”.
“The nation should prepare for the new elections,” he said, adding that the no-confidence was actually a “foreign agenda”.
Khan said he has advised President Alvi to dissolve assemblies.
“Prepare for elections. No corrupt forces will decide what the future of the country will be. When the assemblies will be dissolved, the procedure for the next elections and the caretaker government will begin,” the 69-year-old cricketer-turned-politician said.
Minutes later, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib said that President Alvi has dissolved the National Assembly as per the advice of the prime minister. He said the election will be held within 90 days.
No Pakistani prime minister has ever completed a full five-year term in office.
Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that the Cabinet was also dissolved but Prime Minister Khan would continue to perform his duties.
Earlier, Deputy Speaker Suri dismissed the no-confidence motion moved by the Opposition against Prime Minister Khan, terming it against the Constitution and rules of Pakistan.
“The no-confidence should be according to the Constitution of and rules of the country. Since it is not as pointed out by the Law Minister, so I reject the no-confidence motion,” Suri ruled, amid vociferous protest by Opposition lawmakers.
Suri chaired the crucial session after Opposition parties filed a no-confidence motion against Speaker Asad Qaiser.
As the crucial session began, Law Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that it has been established that through a “letter” that the no-confidence motion was being used to bring a regime change on the behest of a foreign power, so it was against Article 5 of the constitution of Pakistan.
“It is an effective operation for a regime change by a foreign power. It is not an issue of no-confidence but Article 5,” he said and urged the chair to give ruling on the legality of the no-confidence move.
Consequently, Deputy Speaker Suri issued his ruling, rejecting the no-confidence motion and adjourning the session.
The opposition termed the entire process to reject no-confidence against the prime minister and dissolution of assembly against the constitution and its lawmakers refused to leave the premises of the parliament house.
“We are going to challenge the ruling by the deputy speaker and advice by the prime minister to dissolve parliament in the Supreme Court,” said Shehbaz Sharif, Leader of the Opposition in the parliament.
“What Imran Khan has done is against the laws. We’re approaching our lawyers. The speaker has also done an undemocratic work. Imran Khan has exposed himself through this move. We will be present inside the National Assembly until this decision is reversed. He is fleeing against the no-trust motion seeing defeat,” Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said.
“Our lawyers are on their way to Supreme Court. We call on ALL institutions to protect, uphold, defend & implement the constitution of Pakistan,” he later tweeted.
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Marriyum Aurangzeb said: “Imran Khan is a traitor (gaddar). He has taken an unconstitutional step and we are now protesting in National Assembly and will not go anywhere until this decision is cancelled”.
Leading constitutional lawyer Salman Akram Raja said that the “entire procure by the deputy speaker and the advice by the premier to dissolve the assembly was unconstitutional”.
He said that the Supreme Court would decide the entire controversy. “The basic issue is determining the legality of the ruling by the deputy speaker. If the top court says that the ruling is according to laws, then the advice by the prime minister will also be as per law,” he said.
Raja said the illegality of the ruling would also make the advice as illegal as the prime minister cannot give advice to the assembly after a no-confidence motion was presented in the parliament against him.
Ahsan Bhoon, President Supreme Court Bar, said that the action of the prime minister and deputy speaker was against the constitution and “they should be prosecuted for treason under Article 6 of the constitution.” He appealed to the chief justice to take a suo moto action against the gross illegality.
Earlier, Chaudhry said that a Pakistani ambassador in a meeting with the officials of a foreign country on March 7 was told that Pakistan’s government should be changed through a no-confidence motion.
He said a day later on March 8, the no-confidence motion was presented.
The combined opposition filed the no-confidence motion on March 8, setting a set of events leading to the day of voting and rise in the tension due to Khan’s insistence that he was being targeted by a “foreign conspiracy” with the collaboration of top opposition leaders.
21:11 03 Apr
Imran Khan will remain in power for another 15 days, former interior minister Sheikh Rasheed said on Sunday, hours after the former cricketer-turned-politician, in a controversial move, got the National Assembly dissolved. Read full story
21:02 03 Apr
Former Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Sunday said that Prime Minister Imran Khan and all others involved in the “conspiracy” against the nation are guilty of high treason and should be tried for desecrating the Constitution. Read story
19:55 03 Apr
Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial on Sunday said all orders and actions initiated by the Pakistan prime minister and president regarding the dissolution of the National Assembly will be subject to the court's order, the media reported. Read story
19:35 03 Apr
Pakistan's Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial has taken notice of the latest political situation after a controversial ruling by the National Assembly deputy speaker to reject a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan and the subsequent dissolution of the lower house by the President, a court official said on Sunday. Chief Justice Bandial arrived at the apex court, which was especially opened on a Sunday in light of the day's unusual turn of events. The top judge has taken suo motu notice of the current situation in the country, the spokesperson of the apex court said.
19:12 03 Apr
Pakistan’s powerful army said on Sunday that it has “absolutely nothing” to do with the prevailing political situation in the country. Read story
17:13 03 Apr
Cricketer-turned politician Imran Khan, known for surprising his opponents with inswinging yorkers in the field, startled Pakistan’s Opposition political leaders in Parliament by recommending its dissolution and blocking a no-confidence motion against him despite losing majority. Read story
15:31 03 Apr
"Imran Khan has pushed the country into anarchy. Niazi and his cohort will not be allowed to go scot-free. There will be consequences for (the) blatant and brazen violation of the Constitution. Hope the Supreme Court will play its role to uphold the Constitution," says Shehbaz Sharif, Leader of Opposition in Pakistan's National Assembly. Read full story
14:08 03 Apr
Pakistan President Arif Alvi approves dissolution of National Assembly on the advice of Prime Minister Imran Khan
14:07 03 Apr
Pakistan Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib says elections will be held within 90 days
13:26 03 Apr
Pakistan People's Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said they will approach the Supreme Court against the Deputy Speaker’s order. Bilawal has demanded an immediate vote on the no-confidence motion against PM Imran Khan. Read full story
13:16 03 Apr
Pakistan PM Imran Khan advises the President to dissolve National Assembly; calls for fresh elections
13:01 03 Apr
National Assembly Speaker dismisses no-trust move, terming it against Article 5 of Constitution
12:55 03 Apr
Proceedings of the Pakistan National Assembly get under way, to vote on the no-confidence motion. PM Imran Khan skips Assembly session.
11:26 03 Apr
The federal government has sacked Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar, Dawn reported. Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry announced that Sarwar has been removed from his post. The announcement came hours before a crucial session of the National Assembly on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.
11:13 03 Apr
Ahead of Imran Khan's no-trust vote, a Pakistan's Opposition member has moved a motion for the removal of National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser
10:08 03 Apr
Ahead of the crucial no-confidence vote, Pakistan’s embattled Prime Minister Imran Khan has assured his ruling party lawmakers of victory while Opposition Leader Shahbaz Sharif said that a “treason” case should be first registered against the Premier. Read full story
09:45 03 Apr
National assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser to chair session for vote of no-confidence
09:44 03 Apr
Islamabad district administration imposes Section 144 in federal capital, reportes Geo.tv
09:41 03 Apr
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif slammed Prime Minister Imran Khan on for “trying to divide the nation and pushing the country towards a civil war”, reports Dawn.com
08:42 03 Apr
Anticipating trouble ahead of trust vote heavy security blanket has been thrown around National Assembly
08:40 03 Apr
The debate on no-confidence motion is schedule to start at 11.30 Pakistan Standard Time
08:18 03 Apr
Geo News, quoting unnamed sources, reported that the ruling party planned to bring its protesters to D-Chowk and right up to the main gate of Parliament House, despite clear directives from the Supreme Court, which had banned all types of gatherings inside the high-security Red Zone
08:13 03 Apr
The Prime Minister changed his mind about his party’s strategy for the all-important sitting of parliament and announced that he would be present during the debate on the no-confidence resolution. He directed Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers to participate in Sunday’s proceedings and mount a vociferous defence of their prime minister, reports Dawn.com
07:26 03 Apr
The opposition is headed by the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), two parties that dominated Pakistan politics before Imran Khan stitched together a coalition govt in 2018
07:22 03 Apr
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan suggested on Saturday that he might not accept a vote to oust him, a move he alleged was being orchestrated by the United States. Read full story
07:19 03 Apr
Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) had effectively lost its majority in the 342-member assembly last week when a key coalition partner MQM-P said its seven lawmakers would vote with the opposition
07:18 03 Apr
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday urged the youth of Pakistan to stage “peaceful protests” against a “foreign conspiracy” allegedly hatched against his government but told them not to criticise the Pakistan Army, a day ahead of the crucial vote on the no-confidence motion against him. Read full story
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