The talks between the Speaker and the Opposition also failed as the latter wanted a vote on a no-confidence motion, while the Speaker wanted to take up the foreign conspiracy angle for debate.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. ANI
The Pakistan National Assembly was adjourned for one-and-a-half hours after it met for the crucial session during which the Imran Khan government will face a no-confidence vote. The Pakistan prime minister was not in the House when it met.
The debate on the no-trust vote against Khan was delayed and will start after the Namaz break, Geo News reported. The talks between the Speaker and the Opposition also failed as the latter wanted a vote on a no-confidence motion, while the Speaker wanted to take up the foreign conspiracy angle for debate.
Pakistan’s embattled prime minister faced a tough no-confidence vote Saturday introduced by his political opponents, who say they have the votes to defeat him.
A combined opposition that spans the political spectrum from left to radically religious says it has the 172 votes it needs in Pakistan’s 342-seat Parliament to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Pakistan lawmakers clashed angrily in the national assembly Saturday ahead of a no-confidence vote on Prime Minister Imran Khan that will likely see him booted from office.
The speaker adjourned proceedings without giving a reason after just 30 rowdy minutes, ordering lawmakers to return in the afternoon.
Sharif’s daughter has called Imram Khan a psychopath amid a deadlock in the National Assembly over the no-trust vote. She said: “A maniac’s fear of having to face the music has brought the entire country to a grinding halt & a complete standstill. The country of 22 crore is without a government for weeks now. This blatant violation of the constitution and disregard to SC orders will be ugly and end badly.”
Khan, who was not present, has lost his majority in the 342-seat assembly through defections by coalition partners and members of his own party, and the opposition need just 172 votes to dismiss him.
There is no vote for a new premier on the agenda, but that could change and Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) leader Shehbaz Sharif is the anointed candidate.
A combined opposition that spans the political spectrum from left to radically religious says it has the 172 votes it needs in Pakistan’s 342-seat Parliament to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Khan took to national television on the eve of the vote calling on supporters to take to the streets to protest on Sunday, an indication he believed he would lose the vote. Pakistan’s five-member Supreme Court on Thursday blocked Khan’s bid to stay in power, ruling that his move to dissolve Parliament and call early elections was illegal.
The court decision on 7 April, 2022, set the stage for a no-confidence vote, which was likely to go against Khan after several of his ruling party members and a small but key coalition partner defected.
Pakistan’s Parliament on Saturday started its crucial session to take up the no-confidence resolution against defiant Prime Minister Imran Khan amid indications that the no-trust motion against him could be delayed after the government pressed for a discussion on the so-called “foreign conspiracy” against it.
In line with a landmark Supreme Court order, the National Assembly’s session began in the morning. National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaiser is chairing the session which began at 10:30 am.
Speaking during the session, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi accepted that according to the Constitution, it is the right of the Opposition to submit a no-confidence motion, while it is the government’s responsibility to defend itself against it. Citing PM Imran Khan’s April 8 address to the nation, he said that to honour the Constitution is the responsibility of all Pakistanis and “just as the PM said, although we are disappointed with Supreme Court’s judgment, we still abide by the verdict.”
In a brief exchange in Parliament on Saturday, Opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif warned against further delays. Sharif is a likely candidate to replace Khan should Khan lose the vote.
Khan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, meanwhile, demanded an investigation into ruling party allegations that the no-confidence vote was a ploy by the opposition and America to unseat Khan.
Parliament Speaker Asad Qaiser ended debate without commenting on the call for an investigation before the vote and instead adjourned Parliament until 12:30 p.m. local time. Khan was not present.
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 the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party of the 69-year-old cricketer-turned politician.
According to the Orders of the Day’ issued by the National Assembly Secretariat on Friday, voting on the no-confidence motion is at the fourth position in the six-point agenda of the National Assembly (NA), the lower house of Parliament.
With inputs from agencies
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