In a big blow to the Imran Khan-led government, Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial on Thursday said that National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri’s decision to dismiss a no-trust vote against the country’s embattled Prime Minister through a controversial ruling is, prima facie, a violation of Article 95 of the Constitution. Chief Justice Bandial, who is heading a five-member bench comprising Justices Ijazul Ahsan, Mohammad Ali Mazhar Miankhel, Munib Akhtar and Jamal Khan Mandokhel, added that it was clear that the April 3 ruling was erroneous, Dawn reported.
Chief Justice Bandial also said the court will issue a verdict in the high-profile case today. “The real question at hand is what happens next,” he was quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper. “We have to look at national interest,” he said, adding that now the PML-N counsel and the Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Jawed Khan would guide the court on how to proceed.
The decision will not only decide the fate of no-confidence but also the dissolution of the National Assembly and the upcoming elections in Pakistan. According to experts, if Khan gets a favorable ruling, polls will be held within 90 days. If the court rules against the Deputy Speaker, Parliament will reconvene and hold the no-confidence vote against Khan.
Security was beefed up around the court premises ahead of the crucial verdict. Riot police were deployed outside the court.
As we await the verdict which will decide Prime Minister Imran Khan’s fate, let’s have a look at the major developments that brought Pakistan to a crisis:
- On March 8, Opposition parties introduced a no-confidence motion in Parliament seeking the ouster of Prime Minister Khan, largely on accusations of economic mismanagement.
- Ahead of the crucial meeting, Khan, who is the chief of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), ordered all his party legislators to remain absent from the assembly on the day of the vote to mitigate any chance of dissidents secretly supporting the motion to remove him.
- On April 3 (Sunday), National Assembly Deputy Speaker Suri ruled that the no-confidence motion was linked with the “foreign conspiracy” to topple the government and hence was not maintainable. Within minutes, President Arif Alvi dissolved the National Assembly on the advice of the Prime Minister.
- The joint Opposition appeared before the Supreme Court, which took suo moto of the petitions and heard the matter.
- Chief Justice Bandial on Wednesday (April 6) sought the minutes of the meeting of the National Security Council (NSC) which had discussed a letter purportedly showing evidence of the “foreign conspiracy” to oust the PTI-led government. The Chief Justice repeatedly reminded the lawyers to conclude their arguments at the earliest to let the bench issue an order.
- AGP Khalid Jawed Khan, who was the last to give his arguments on Thursday, began by informing the court that he would not be able to give details of the recent meeting of the NSC in an open courtroom and asserted that the court could issue an order without questioning anyone’s loyalty, Dawn reported.
- President Alvi, the Supreme Court Bar Association, and all political parties have been made respondents in the case. The decision of the court would determine the legality of the presidential order to dissolve the National Assembly.
(with inputs from agencies)
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