No-trust vote: National Assembly session adjourned for 1.5 hours by speaker
The joint opposition has gotten a clear majority for the no-trust motion against PM Imran Khan as the opposition claimed to have the support of more than 177 MNAs.
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly (NA) Speaker Asad Qaiser has adjourned the extraordinary session for 1.5 hours after the speeches of the lawmakers including the opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
The voting on the opposition’s no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan will be held in the 342-seat Lower House today.
The joint opposition has gotten a clear majority for the no-trust motion against PM Imran Khan as the opposition claimed to have the support of more than 177 Members of the National Assembly (MNAs).
On April 7, the Supreme Court (SC) declared the ruling of the deputy speaker null and void for rejecting the no-trust motion and directed to vote on the no-confidence motion to be held on April 9.
A no-confidence motion has also been filed against the NA speaker and deputy speaker due to which they will not be able to preside over today’s session.
Today’s session of the National Assembly will be chaired by a member of the Panel of Chairman National Assembly. There is a strong possibility that government member Amjad Ali Khan Afridi will preside over the session.
In the context of the SC orders, the NA session has been summoned this morning at 10:30 am. The National Assembly Secretariat has also issued a 6-point agenda for today’s session.
According to item four of the agenda, the meeting will be held in accordance with Article 95 of the Constitution on the no-confidence motion filed by the Leader of the Opposition Shahbaz Sharif against the prime minister on March 8.
According to the no-confidence motion, Prime Minister Imran Khan has lost the confidence of this House.
Yesterday, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry had said that he would present the text of the diplomatic cable during an in-camera session of the National Assembly (NA) before voting. The question arises as to whether the government can take an action or not.
A copy of the result of the no-confidence motion will be presented to the President by the NA speaker and a gazette notification will be issued after the president’s signature.
If the no-confidence motion succeeds, the speaker could not adjourn the session. With the success of the motion, the federal cabinet will be dissolved. However, the NA speaker will be bound to conduct voting for the new Leader of the House.
According to Article 32 of the Constitution, immediately after the vacancy of the post of prime minister, the proceedings of the Assembly must continue and elect a Muslim MNA as the new premier.
