Pak Opposition Moves Supreme Court After No-Confidence Motion Dismissed

Imran Khan ducked an opposition’s move to remove him as Pakistan’s Prime Minister on Sunday. Amid the fresh political instability in the country, Pakistan President Arif Alvi has dissolved the National Assembly on the advice of Prime Minister Khan, Geo News reported. While the Deputy Speaker of parliament Qasim Khan Suri dismissed the Opposition's no-confidence motion calling it as unconstitutional. 

A few hours before the voting was to take place, the Opposition members moved a no-confidence motion against the National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser. However, Suri, who was in the chair, junked the motion. As per media sources, at least 100 Opposition members had signed the motion.

وہی ہوتا ہے جو منظور خدا ہوتا ہے !!! pic.twitter.com/BxBEaibJmT

— Qasim Khan Suri (@QasimKhanSuri) April 3, 2022

Federal Minister of Information & Broadcasting Fawan Hussain tweeted that PM Imran Khan will continue to discharge his duties under article 224 of the Constitution and the Cabinet has been dissolved. 

Also Read: Ahead of Sunday's No-trust Vote, Imran Khan Says Will Play Till the Last Ball

Meanwhile, the head of the opposition Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Bilwala Bhutto Zardari announced that the united Opposition will stage a dharna in the parliament against the government for “violating the Constitution.” He added that their lawyers were on their way to the Supreme Court.

Government has violated constitution. did not allow voting on 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 & implement the constitution of Pakistan 🇵🇰 pic.twitter.com/sThqng0SI5

— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) April 3, 2022

After the dismissal of the no-confidence motion in the Parliament, the Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed the nation. “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,” Khan said in his televised speech. He added, “I’ve sent advice to the president to dissolve assemblies.”

وزیراعظم عمران خان کا قوم سے اہم خطاب : #بیرونی_سازش_ناکام
pic.twitter.com/HlAKW5LOdX

— PTI (@PTIofficial) April 3, 2022

Prime Minister Imran Khan said, “There should be elections in a democratic way. I call upon the people of Pakistan to prepare for elections,” Reports suggest the general elections could be held within three months. 

Ahead of the no-trust motion, Imran Khan on Saturday had appealed to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party voters to flood the streets ahead of the planned vote. Given the political instability in the country, heavy deployment of police and paramilitary forces was seen on the streets of capital Islamabad on Sunday. 

The Opposition has been trying to topple the Imran Khan-led government ever since it rose to power in 2018. They had contested the election victory of Khan-led PTI claiming the military had supported him. Recent reports suggested Imran Khan had fallen out with the military, however, he and the military established deny the charge.