The Pakistan Supreme Court has asked for reconstitution of the National Assembly and ordered the Speaker to call a session. The court has also ruled out a review petition. The no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan will now be held on Saturday at 10 am.
If Khan loses he will be the first Prime Minister to be removed through a no-trust vote. Two other Prime Ministers against whom a no-confidence motion was called, resigned before the vote. But Khan had refused to step down, insisting that he would “play till the last ball”.
On Sunday, the no-trust motion against Imran Khan’s government was dismissed by the Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri. Known to be a loyalist of the Prime Minister, Mr Suri said the motion was against the Constitution and rules of Pakistan and cited security issues as Mr Khan’s supporters hit the streets.
Minutes later, the Prime Minister had called for fresh elections and advised the President for the dissolution of Assembly. The fresh election was to be held within 90 days, though earlier today, the Election Commission said it cannot be done before October.
Terming the move “unconstitutional”, the Opposition parties had challenged the Speaker’s decision in the Supreme Court.
Under Article 58 of Pakistan’s Constitution, the National Assembly cannot be dissolved if there is a no-confidence motion against the government.
