Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. AP/PTI file
Islamabad, April 8
A defiant Imran Khan said on Friday that he will not accept any “imported government” in Pakistan as he expressed disappointment over the Supreme Court’s verdict on the National Assembly Deputy Speaker’s controversial decision on the rejection of no-trust motion against him.
In a live address to the nation ahead of the no-trust motion on Saturday, 69-year-old Khan asked his supporters to join him on the street on Sunday evening.
“I respect the Supreme Court and the judiciary, but the apex court should have looked at a threat letter before issuing its verdict,” Khan said in his address – perhaps last to the nation as Prime Minister of the country.
Khan, who has effectively lost the majority in the 342-member House, repeated his allegations that a US diplomat threatened regime change in Pakistan.
In a landmark 5-0 verdict, a five-member Bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial on Thursday unanimously struck down the Deputy Speaker’s ruling on the rejection of the no-confidence motion against Khan and ordered restoration of the National Assembly, saying the Prime Minister’s move to dissolve Parliament and call early elections was “unconstitutional”.
The court also ordered the Speaker of the Lower House to call the session of the National Assembly on April 9 at 10 am (local time) to organise a no-confidence vote. It ordered the election of the new Prime Minister if the no-confidence motion succeeded.
The Opposition parties need 172 members in the 342-member House to orchestrate the downfall of Prime Minister Khan and already they showed the support of more than the needed strength.
Now Khan faces the possibility of being the first Prime Minister in Pakistan’s history to be voted out in a no-confidence motion.
The cricketer-turned politician came to power in 2018 with promises to create a ‘Naya Pakistan’ but miserably failed to address the basic problem of keeping the prices of commodities in control. The current term of the National Assembly was to end in August, 2023.
No Pakistani Prime Minister has ever completed a full five-year term in office.
22:54 08 Apr
“I will not accept an imported government,” PM Imran Khan said while calling for street protests on Sunday evening
22:48 08 Apr
Imran hailed position of India globally in his address. "No power can dictate terms to India which is a sovereign nation," said Khan.
22:33 08 Apr
“I respect judiciary, but Supreme Court should have looked at threat letter before issuing its verdict,” Khan said
22:20 08 Apr
"I am upset with the Supreme Court's decision. I was upset because when the Deputy Speaker conducted the probe, the Supreme Court should have investigated it," Pakistan PM Imran Khan said in his address to the nation ahead of the no-trust vote
18:38 08 Apr
The Pakistan Government has set up a commission led by a retired Army officer to investigate the alleged “foreign conspiracy” behind the no-confidence motion against embattled Prime Minister Imran Khan, a senior minister said on Friday
17:13 08 Apr
Pakistan’s Opposition has completed its initial talks for the formation of a new government once Prime Minister Imran Khan is ousted on Saturday after the no-confidence motion and plans are afoot for the removal of President Arif Alvi and the return of deposed premier Nawaz Sharif from the UK, a media report said on Friday (Read full story)
13:29 08 Apr
A member of Pakistan's government denounced on Friday a Supreme Court decision to quash an attempt by Prime Minister Imran Khan to block a no-confidence vote against him, saying the court's ruling was akin to a "judicial coup".
"A judicial coup happened last night ... ending parliamentary supremacy!" Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari said on Twitter.
08:46 08 Apr
Imran Khan has called a Cabinet meeting on Friday as well as the parliamentary party meeting.
I have called a cabinet mtg tomorrow as well as our parl party mtg; & tomorrow evening I will address the nation. My message to our nation is I have always & will continue to fight for Pak till the last ball.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 7, 2022
08:38 08 Apr
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday announced that he would address the nation on Friday evening after his government suffered a setback following the Supreme Court's decision.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday restored the National Assembly after it declared the government's decision to dissolve the assembly and NA Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri's ruling against the Constitution.
Khan said a meeting of the PTI's parliamentary committee would also be convened on Friday and he would "continue to fight for Pakistan till the last ball".
08:36 08 Apr
A group of prominent Pakistani dissidents on Friday welcomed the ruling of their country's Supreme Court ruling, restoring its elected parliament after its “unlawful” dissolution by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The Pakistan Supreme Court has ruled on the right side of history by upholding the Constitution of Pakistan, South Asians Against Terrorism and for Human Rights (SAATH), a pro-democracy outfit of Pakistanis said.
“This is also the time when all institutions of the state look back at the debris of the last four years,” it said in a statement.
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