Islamabad: Addressing the nation after the no-confidence motion was dismissed in Parliament, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that he has asked the President to dissolve the Assemblies. “There should be elections in a democratic way. I call upon the people of Pakistan to prepare for elections,” Khan said.
Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri dismissed the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan terming it ‘unconstitutional’’, null and void. Suri was in the chair after the Opposition submitted a no-confidence motion against the National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser just hours before the voting was to take place.
“Unfortunately, this is an effective operation for regime change by a foreign government,” Suri said.
“I congratulate every Pakistani on the Speaker’s decision. The no-confidence motion was a foreign conspiracy against us. Pakistan should decide who should govern them,” Pakistan PM Imran Khan said in his address to the nation after the no-trust motion was dismissed in Parliament.
Khan said that he has asked the President to dissolve the Assemblies. “There should be elections in a democratic way. I call upon the people of Pakistan to prepare for elections,” Khan said.
“The government has violated the Constitution”, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), said.
“They did not allow voting on the no-confidence motion. The United Opposition is not leaving Parliament. Our lawyers are on their way to Supreme Court. We call on all institutions to protect, uphold, defend and implement the constitution of Pakistan,” he said.
What are the options now for Pakistan PM Imran Khan? The President will either approve the summary, or the PM will write to the Election Commission for new elections, sources said. After that, the caretaker government will take over for new polls.
Meanwhile, Section 144, prohibiting large gatherings, has been imposed in the Pakistani capital Islamabad. The district administration has completely banned pillion riding in the city. According to sources accessed by Geo News, violence is likely in and around Parliament today, with PTI members planning 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.
Khan needed 172 of the 342 votes in the National Assembly to stay in power. However, after his key ally, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), joined the Opposition camp, the PTI-led coalition government had 164 members while the Opposition has 176. While no Pakistani prime minister has ever completed a full five-year term in office, none in Pakistan’s history has ever been ousted through a no-confidence motion. Khan is the third premier to face the challenge.
Meanwhile, the government has removed Punjab Governor Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar from his post, Federal Minister for Information & Broadcasting Fawad Hussain tweeted. Omar Sarfraz Cheema, a senior leader of the Pakistan Tehreek E Insaf party, has been appointed in his place.
Former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif was attacked in London on Saturday, according to a Pakistani reporter.
Ahmad Noorani, a reporter with Fact Focus in Pakistan, said on Twitter that Nawaz Sharif was attacked by an activist of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. As per the report, Nawaz Sharif’s guard was injured in the attack.