Pakistan PM Imran Khan (file photo)Imran Khan No-Trust Vote Live: Pakistan’s embattled Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is set to face a no-confidence motion on Saturday, said he is disappointed by the top court’s verdict against him. Addressing the nation on the eve of no-trust vote, Khan said he accepts the court verdict that reversed his actions and reinstated the vote against him. Last week, the no-trust motion against Khan’s government was dismissed by Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri. Soon after, Khan called for fresh elections and the dissolution of the assembly.
A day after Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled that the dismissal of the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan was “unconstitutional”, the prime minister is set to address the nation on Friday. “My message to our nation is I have always and will continue to fight for Pak till the last ball,” Khan tweeted on Thursday. He added that a meeting of the ruling PTI’s parliamentary committee would also be convened on Friday.
The top court has ordered National Assembly Speaker Asad Qasier to summon the session on Saturday and not later than 10:30 am to allow the vote on the no-confidence motion against the premier. If he loses, Khan will be the first prime minister in Pakistan’s history to be removed through a no-trust vote.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan arrives to attend a military parade to mark Pakistan National Day in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, March 23, 2022. (AP/File)
Stating that the responsibility to protect the nation’s sovereignty lies with its citizens, Imran Khan called upon the people to take to streets on Sunday to protest against the Supreme Court verdict.
Repeating his allegation that a US diplomat threatened regime change in Pakistan, Imran Khan said he will not accept an “imported government”.
Highlighting India’s foreign policy, Khan said he is “in awe of the functioning of the neighbouring country which does not allow any foreign power to influence its decisions.” He added that “no superpower can dictate terms to India.” Imran Khan was referring to India’s stance on the Russia-Ukraine war with New Delhi buying oil from Moscow despite pressure from the United States.
Shehbaz Sharif, the person most likely to be Pakistan's next prime minister, is little known outside his home country but has a reputation domestically as an effective administrator more than as a politician.
The younger brother of three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz, 70, is leading a bid by the opposition in parliament to topple Imran Khan, and if a vote of no-confidence goes ahead on Saturday he is widely expected to replace Khan.
Analysts say Shehbaz, unlike Nawaz, enjoys amicable relations with Pakistan's military, which traditionally controls foreign and defence policy in the nuclear-armed nation of 220 million people. (Reuters)
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan chairs a meeting of the Federal Cabinet in Islamabad, reports Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf. (ANI)
Pakistan's lower house of parliament has been convened for Saturday to hold a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan, a notification said on Friday.The session will start at 10:30 a.m. local time (0530 GMT), and the vote is the fourth point on the agenda, brought by the opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif. (Reuters)
A member of Pakistan's government denounced on Friday a Supreme Court decision to quash an attempt by Prime Minister Imran Khan to block a no-confidence vote against him, saying the court's ruling was akin to a 'judicial coup'.
"A judicial coup happened last night ... ending parliamentary supremacy!" Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari said on Twitter.
Mazari also suggested that Khan and his allies would fight on. "The long shadows hanging over this judicial decision think the game has been won but frankly it has just started," she said.
A group of prominent Pakistani dissidents Friday welcomed the ruling of their country's Supreme Court ruling, restoring its elected parliament after its "unlawful" dissolution by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The Pakistan Supreme Court has ruled on the right side of history by upholding the Constitution of Pakistan, South Asians Against Terrorism and for Human Rights (SAATH), a pro-democracy outfit of Pakistanis said. "This is also the time when all institutions of the state look back at the debris of the last four years," it said in a statement. SAATH said while the latest Supreme Court judgment is a positive step it is also important that "the horrendous practice of 'disappearing' people should end".
Prominent members of SAATH include former Senator Afrasiab Khattak, Member of Parliament Mohsin Dawar, former ambassadors Husain Haqqani and Kamran Shafi, former editor of Daily Times Rashed Rahman, columnist Mohammed Taqi, journalists Taha Siddiqui, Gul Bukhari and Marvi Sirmed, and activists Gulalai Ismail, Tahira Jabeen, Shahzad Irfan and Farhan Kaghzi. (PTI)
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday announced that he would address the nation on Friday evening after his government suffered a setback following the Supreme Court's decision.
The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday restored the National Assembly after it declared the government's decision to dissolve the assembly and NA Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri's ruling against the Constitution.
Khan said a meeting of the PTI's parliamentary committee would also be convened on Friday and he would "continue to fight for Pakistan till the last ball". (PTI)
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan is due to address the nation on Friday after the Supreme Court ruled he acted unconstitutionally in blocking an attempt to oust him - a decision that could end his premiership in days.
Last Sunday, political allies of the former cricket star dissolved parliament to thwart an opposition no-confidence vote Khan had been expected to lose after coalition partners deserted him to rob him of a majority.
The Supreme Court ruled late on Thursday that Khan's manoeuvre was unconstitutional, ordering that parliament be reconvened by Saturday and for the no-confidence motion to go ahead as planned.
The court ruling is the latest twist in a crisis that has threatened political and economic stability in the nuclear-armed country of 220 million people, with the rupee currency hitting all-time lows on Thursday and foreign exchange reserves tumbling. (Reuters)