Pakistan President Dissolves Assembly on Advice of PM Khan

Dissolves

In a surprise move, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Sunday that he has advised President Arif Alvi to dissolve the National Assembly and call for fresh elections, minutes after the deputy speaker rejected a no-confidence motion against the embattled leader.

Prime Minister Khan, who had effectively lost majority in the 342-member National Assembly, made a brief address to the nation after a stormy parliament session was adjourned by Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri.

Khan congratulated the nation for the no-trust motion being dismissed, saying the deputy speaker had "rejected the attempt of changing the regime and the foreign conspiracy".

Khan said he has advised President Alvi to dissolve assemblies.

"Prepare for elections. No corrupt forces will decide what the future of the country will be. When the assemblies will be dissolved, the procedure for the next elections and the caretaker government will begin," the 69-year-old cricketer-turned-politician said.

Earlier, Deputy Speaker Suri dismissed the no-confidence motion moved by the Opposition against Prime Minister Khan, terming it against the Constitution and rules of Pakistan.

"The no-confidence should be according to the Constitution of and rules of the country. Since it is not as pointed out by the Law Minister, so I reject the no-confidence motion," Suri ruled, amid vociferous protest by Opposition lawmakers.

Suri chaired the crucial session after Opposition parties filed a no-confidence motion against Speaker Asad Qaiser.

As the crucial session began, Law Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that it has been established that through a "letter" that the on-confidence motion was being used to bring a regime change on the behest of a foreign power, so it was against Article 5 of the constitution of Pakistan.

"It is an effective operation for a regime change by a foreign power. It is not an issue of no-confidence but Article 5," he said and urged the chair to give ruling on the legality of the no-confidence move.

Consequently, Deputy Speaker Suri issued his ruling, rejecting the no-confidence motion and adjourning the session.

No Pakistani prime minister has ever completed a full five-year term in office.

The opposition announced to challenge the ruling of the speaker and advise to dissolve the assembly in the Supreme Court.

"We are going to challenge the ruling by the deputy speaker and advice by the prime minister to dissolve parliament in the Supreme Court,” said Shehbaz Sharif, Leader of the Opposition in the parliament.

Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, a Pakistan Peoples Party leader, said that the opposition would hold a sit-in protest inside the parliament and would not leave its premises.

The combined opposition filed the no-confidence motion on March 8, setting a set of events leading to the day of voting and rise in the tension due to Khan's insistence that he was being targeted by a “foreign conspiracy” with the collaboration of top opposition leaders.

Security around the Red Zone housing the Parliament building was beefed through deployment of more than 6,000 security personnel of police and paramilitary forces, including Pakistan Rangers and Frontier Corps.

Local administration has imposed Section 144 in Islamabad. The Red Zone has been sealed with big containers and barbed wires and with tightened security in the capital.

Edited By: Admin

Published On: Apr 03, 2022