No-trust move: How long Imran Khan can hold office under Article 94?

ISLAMABAD: The fate of Prime Minister Imran Khan will be decided on Sunday whether he will stay in office or not after the voting on the no-trust move.

The opposition parties will need 172 votes to win the motion against PM Imran Khan.

The National Assembly has 341 lawmakers after the death of PTI MNA Zaman Khan and now the opposition will need the support of 172 legislators to prove a simple majority in the voting on the no-trust move.

If the no-trust motion succeeds, NA Speaker Asad Qaiser may adjourn the assembly indefinitely, whereas, the president may order the prime minister to perform his duties until the oath of next.

Article 94 says that the president is entitled to ask PM to continue to hold office until his successor enters office. A cabinet member tells that NA Speaker has the authority to adjourn the session after completing the process of the no-confidence motion on Sunday for an indefinite period.

If the opposition’s no-confidence motion fails, the next move could not be tabled in the National Assembly (NA) for six months.

The Opposition Leader in the NA Shahbaz Sharif demanded the interior ministry provide foolproof security to MNAs on the voting day of the no-confidence motion.

It may be noted here that the joint opposition has 162 MNAs while it claimed that there are 24 dissident PTI MNAs who will support them. Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) had claimed that 16 dissident MNAs are in touch with them, whereas, PPP claimed to gain the support of six dissident lawmakers. JUI-F Fazlur Rehman has also claimed that seven lawmakers have assured him to support the no-trust move.

Political analysts said that even if the no-confidence motion succeeds, the NA speaker and the president could create hurdles in the transition of the power process.

They said that just after the success of the no-confidence motion, the NA speaker could adjourn the NA session for an indefinite period or it could be 14 days, a month or more.

Under Article 94, the president can allow the PM to continue to hold office until his successor enters the office. This move will force Shehbaz Sharif to continue waiting even after winning the election.

Legal experts said the constitution did not define the limit for the president to ask PM to hold office.