Opposition parties have reacted angrily after the deputy speaker of Parliament rejected the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan. Imran Khan addressed the nation immediately after earning a reprieve in the parliament. Khan said that he had avised the country’s president to dissolve the national assembly and hold fresh elections.
Even before the debate and vote could take place on the no-confidence motion, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Qasim Suri rejected the move by saying that it violated Article 5 of the Constitution.
Imran Khan urged the people of Pakistan to be ready for fresh elections as he launched a tirade against his political rivals. According to Khan, his political rivals were acting at the behest of the foreign power to cause instability in the country. Suri belongs to Khan’s ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, also known as the PTI.
A statement from the Pakistan President’s office said that President Arif Alvi had ‘approved the advice of the Prime Minister.’
Reacting to the new development, Shehbaz Sharif, the leader of opposition in Pakistan’s National Assembly, tweeted, “It is nothing short of a high treason. IK has pushed the country into anarchy. Niazi & his cohort will not be allowed to go scot-free. There will be consequences for blatant & brazen violation of the Constitution. Hope SC will play it’s role to uphold the Constitution.”
Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the government had ‘violated the constitution’ by not allowing ‘voting on the 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,” he said.
Khan’s position became untenable after many of his coalition partners including 17 parliamentarians from his own party joined the opposition demanding his resignation. A no-confidence voting was to take place on Sunday but the Deputy Speaker rejected the move.
Opposition parties say that they have the required 172 votes in Pakistan’s 342-seat Parliament to unseat Khan.
Khan, a cricketer-turned-politician, had become Pakistan’s prime minister in 2018.