ISLAMABAD: Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government on Saturday filed a review petition in the Supreme Court challenging its decision to declare the ruling of the deputy speaker to dismiss the no-confidence resolution against the prime minister as unconstitutional.
The review petition, filed through Dr Babar Awan and Azhar Siddique, named the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Supreme Court Bar Association, Sindh High Court Bar Association and the Sindh Bar Council as respondents.
In a body blow to Prime Minister Khan, Pakistan's Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously struck down the ruling by deputy speaker Qasim Suri on the rejection of the no-confidence motion against him and ordered restoration of the National Assembly, saying the prime minister's move to dissolve Parliament and call early elections was "unconstitutional".
In a landmark 5-0 verdict, a five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial ruled that the deputy speaker's ruling was "contrary to the Constitution and the law and of no legal effect, and the same are hereby set aside."
The petition, the copies of which are available to media, urged the apex court to "review, recall and set aside" its order, "which is based on errors floating on the surface" and "the captioned causes be dismissed/discharged".
The government's counsel further appealed that the execution of the "impugned order be suspended".
The review petition argued that the court order, in the absence of any detailed reasons, was not a judicial determination according to Article 184(3) of the Constitution which states that an issue needs to be of public importance if the court has to have jurisdiction on it.
The petition further said that the order has given a "time table to proceed in the National Assembly (NA) which amounts to interfering in the affairs of the house/NA", which is in violation of the Constitution.
The apex court's bench could not force "direct discharge of constitutional obligations by office holders of constitutional posts under the Constitution", it said.
The petition also pointed out that the procedure for a no-trust vote was elaborately provided in the Constitution and, therefore, "the honourable apex court is not entitled to micro-manage the affairs of the Parliament".
Meanwhile, the National Assembly is in session to implement the order of the top court to conduct the vote of confidence.
The members of the PTI were making long speeches, clearly to buy time to delay the crucial vote.
Speaker Asad Qaisar has said the apex court verdict would be implemented in letter and spirit.
Pakistani media has reported that the vote on the no-confidence motion may take place after Iftar.
Khan has summoned a meeting of his cabinet ministers late on Saturday night, even though his government is expected to lose the no-confidence motion scheduled to take place later in the evening, according to local media reports.
Khan has summoned the Cabinet Meeting at 9.00 PM at the Prime Ministers' House here.
Important decisions are expected in the meeting, Geo News reported quoting high-level sources.
However, the meeting has taken many by surprise as the no-confidence vote is expected to be completed by around 8.00 PM and Khan has little chance of surviving it.
Khan, who has been saying that he will fight till the "last ball", may delay the Opposition parties' no-confidence vote by making his Members of National Assembly make lengthy speeches on the purported "foreign conspiracy" in bringing down his government, the sources said.
Khan has been claiming that the Opposition's no-confidence motion against him was the result of a "foreign conspiracy" because of his independent foreign policy and funds were being channelled from abroad to oust him from power.
In an address to the nation on Friday, the 69-year-old prime minister reiterated his allegations that a senior US diplomat threatened regime change in Pakistan.
The US has bluntly rejected the allegations.
Imran Khan is the "first captain who is running from the pitch with wickets because he fears that he will lose the match," Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said in the National Assembly on Saturday, as he asked the embattled Prime Minister to "show some sportsman spirit," before leaving office.
Pakistan Parliament's crucial session to take up a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Khan resumed after a long adjournment on Saturday and voting on the motion is expected to take place in the evening after a discussion on the so-called "foreign conspiracy" against his government.
The PPP Chairman trained his guns on Khan, who was conspicuous by his absence in the National Assembly, when the session began at 10.30 am on Saturday, in line with the landmark Supreme Court order.
"Imran Khan is not present in the Parliament because he cannot defend himself. Conspiracies against the constitution will not succeed," he said, while adding that before Khan leaves his office, he should "show some sportsman spirit."
Bilawal told the Speaker Asad Qaiser that he was violating the Constitution and the court's order.
"You cannot take up anything else except for what is on the agenda. Not only you, the speaker also did the same," he told him, demanding that voting be held on the no-confidence motion.
"If you don't come to today's agenda, then you should know that the opposition will not leave [] we will snatch our constitutional rights from you."
He said that the government of Khan had lost its majority in the assembly.
"We can debate on the foreign conspiracy for 100 days but first conduct voting."
The PPP Chairman alleged that Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was responsible for the premier's troubles, again calling for a vote to be held on the no-confidence motion.
Bilawal, 33, stated that the National Security Committee meeting's minutes do not mention the no-confidence motion in it.
"If there was a foreign conspiracy, they should have come forth with the evidence when it began. Not when they lost the majority in the house," the PPP leader wondered.
He said the fight is not between parties now, it is between those who believe in democracy and those who don't.
"The real conspiracy is that Khan sahab is scared of a clean election," Bilawal said.
"He could try 100 times but he would not be Bhutto, he can't be a political martyr," said Bilawal while referring to Khan. Turning to the country's current economic situation, Bilawal said it is "evident that all Pakistanis are suffering".
"The real conspiracy is Imran's conspiracy. The kaptaan cannot see beyond himself."
"We aren't fighting to make someone prime minister, there are a lot of ways to oust the PM. We knew how to knock at the door of house number 4, go to court or launch a protest movement."
The Opposition parties need 172 members in the 342-member house to orchestrate the downfall of Prime Minister Khan.
They have garnered the support of more than the needed strength with the help of some allies of the ruling coalition and rebels from Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.