Constitutional crisis in Pakistan, Supreme Court now to act final

ISLAMABAD: In Pakistan, Sunday began with unprecedented constitution crisis and now it is imminent that the Supreme Court, the highest judicial authority, will take final decision to resolve the crisis created after the Prime Minister Imran Khan’s astonishing decisions.

Prime Minister Sunday announced that he had advised the President to dissolve the National Assembly, paving way for the holding of fresh elections in the country. President Dr. Arif Alvi has given his consent to PM’s advice to dissolve the assemblies and to hold fresh elections.

The prime minister in his short-televised address to the nation made an announcement, soon after the National Assembly session was prorogued by the deputy speaker, rejecting the opposition’s push for the no-trust motion as unconstitutional.  

The prime minister asked the nation to get prepared for the fresh elections as he had sent a summary, advising the president to dissolve assemblies.

He said the process for holding of new elections and procedure for the caretaker government would take place accordingly.

The prime minister expressing his resolve said that nation would not allow the corrupt elements to decide their fate. “The grave conspiracy against the government has failed,” he added.  

The prime minister congratulated the nation on the deputy speaker’s ruling against the no-trust motion, terming it as unconstitutional as it was an effort at changing of the regime through a foreign planned conspiracy and under a foreign agenda.

“Speaker has rejected the move and I felicitate the whole nation,” he said, adding that he knew that the nation was concerned over such conspiracy.

“Ghabrana Nahi Hai (do’t get worried), it is my message to the conspirators,” the prime minister said while addressing his political foes in his popular coined phrase.

The prime minister said that Pakistan came into being on 27th of Ramazan. The nation would foil such plans. He also justified the deputy speaker’s ruling.

He said that opposition leaders should have spent their ill-gotten pelf on the provision of facilities to the poor instead of bribing the members of the assembly to switch their party allegiance.  

Proceedings in National Assembly

Deputy Speaker of National Assembly Qasim Suri Sunday rejected the Vote of No Confidence Motion moved by the joint opposition against Prime Minister Imran Khan, on the basis of Article 5 of the Constitution of Pakistan, under which loyalty to the State was the basic duty of every citizen.

Deputy Speaker National Assembly Qasim Suri in a ruling said the no-confidence motion should be in line with the Constitution, laws and rules.

“No foreign power has the right to topple an elected government under any conspiracy. So I give the ruling that no-confidence resolution is against the national integrity and sovereignty and I give the ruling to disallow the no-confidence resolution as per rules and law.”

Earlier, Minister for Law Ch. Fawad Hussain asked the chair to determine the admissibility of the no-confidence resolution as a foreign conspiracy has been hatched against the elected government. He said that Article 5 (1) was about the loyalty to State and obedience to the Constitution and under which loyalty to the State was the basic duty of every citizen.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Sunday apprised the National Assembly about an international conspiracy to topple the democratically elected government in Pakistan.

As the House proceedings started under the chair of Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri, Fawad who also has the portfolio of Law Minister took the floor and said in a normal situation, a no-confidence motion was moved under article 95 of the constitution, which was a democratic right.

But in this case, he requested the Chair to invoke article 5(1) of the Constitution which stated “loyalty to the state is the basic duty of every citizen” while keeping in view the fact that it was being moved under an international conspiracy.

The minister told the House that on March 7 Pakistan’s ambassador was summoned to an official meeting by a country with the team of note-takers and was informed that a no-trust motion would be moved against the Prime Minister of Pakistan.

On March 8, he said the motion against the Prime Minister was submitted to the National Assembly Secretariat. Pakistan was warned by that country that future bilateral ties were linked to the success of the motion.

The minister said it was unfortunate that the regime change plot was being carried out at the behest of foreign elements under a conspiracy, adding that some of the government allies and PTI members also joined the plan.

“It is not the matter of no-confidence, it is a blatant violation of Article 5(1) of the Constitution,” he said putting a question before the House on whether foreign assistance could be taken for regime change in Pakistan?

“There should be a ruling on Article 5 (1),” he requested the chair.

Deputy Speaker National Assembly Qasim Khan Suri in a ruling rejected the opposition parties’ no-confidence resolution against the Prime Minister submitted on March 8, 2022.

“The no-confidence motion should be in line with the constitution, law and rules. No foreign power has the right to topple the elected government under any conspiracy. So I give the ruling that no-confidence resolution is against the national integrity and sovereignty, and I give the ruling to disallow the no-confidence resolution as per rules and laws,” Suri said.

Earlier, the Minister for Law Ch. Fawad Hussain asked the chair to determine the admissibility of the no-confidence resolution as a foreign conspiracy was hatched against the elected government. He said that Article 5 (1) is about the loyalty to the State and obedience to the Constitution and law which says that loyalty to the State is the basic duty of every citizen.

No-confidence motion submitted against Qaiser

Prior to today’s session of the National Assembly, the opposition also submitted a no-confidence motion against NA Speaker Asad Qaiser.

The resolution, addressed to the secretary of the National Assembly Secretariat, was submitted by Murtaza Javed Abbasi of the PML-N. The resolution carried the signatures of more than a hundred lawmakers.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who shared an image of the resolution on Twitter, tagged the official handles of PM Imran and Qaiser, with a simple “surprise”.