NEW DELHI: It was a day full of drama in Pakistan’s Parliament, where the court-mandated vote on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan could not take place till late in the evening.
The Pakistan Parliament was convened to vote on the future of the Imran government after the country’s Supreme Court rejected Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri’s decision to reject the Opposition’s no-trust motion as unconstitutional.
But National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser deferred the vote following a review petition filed by the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in the Supreme Court, challenging its earlier decision to set aside Suri’s ruling.
When the session convened, the vote on no-confidence was listed as the fourth item on the agenda. The Speaker wanted a discussion on “international conspiracy” to unseat the incumbent government before taking up the no-trust vote.
Amid heated exchanges between ruling party members and those from the Opposition, including between Pakistan People’s Party leader Bilawal Bhutto, and foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the House was adjourned. Bhutto called upon Imran to show sportsman’s spirit and follow the Supreme Court’s decision.
The review petition, filed through Dr Babar Awan and Azhar Siddique, named the PPP, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, Supreme Court Bar Association, Sindh High Court Bar Association, and the Sindh Bar Council as respondents.
Even though many think Imran has no chance of winning the vote, he isn’t giving up. Calling on the people of Pakistan to protect the country’s sovereignty, he urged people to hit the streets on Sunday and peacefully protest against an “imported government”. He has alleged that foreign powers are trying to topple his government and Pakistan’s lawmakers are being traded like sheep to accomplish this.
“We got to know that US diplomats were meeting our people. Then we got to know about the entire plan,” he said, adding that he is not at the liberty to publicly release all the details owing to security concerns. He has called the political situation an attack on the sovereignty of Pakistan.
Sharif Opposition’s likely choice for top post
If Imran loses, the Opposition might nominate its own Prime Minister and hold power until August 2023, by which fresh elections will have to be held. Shehbaz Sharif is said to be the front runner for the PM’s post
I&B minister changes bio to former I&B minister
Pakistan’s Information and Broadcast Minister Choudhary Fawad Hussain has changed his Twitter account bio to former I&B minister, ahead of voting on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.