KARACHI: The ruling of National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri dismissing the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan was erroneous, said Chief justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial. The ruling is contradictory to Article 95 of the constitution, said the chief justice. The court made the vital observation while hearing arguments on the pleas filed against the dissolution of the parliament.
If the Supreme Court quashes the deputy speaker’s ruling, then it will be a huge setback for Imran Khan. Last day, Supreme Court had denied the demand for an interim order in the issue. The court had said that the verdict would be pronounced after a detailed hearing on the issues raised in the opposition’s plea.
Earlier this month, the deputy speaker had rejected the opposition’s no-confidence motion and the President had dissolved the National Assembly for holding early elections. Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri had dismissed the trust vote, which was thought to throw Imran Khan out of power, stating that it was unconstitutional. Following which, President Dr Arif Alvi dissolved the National Assembly on the advice of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Imran's move to dismiss the no-confidence motion and dissolve the National Assembly came as a shock to the majority opposition, who were all set to oust him. The deputy speaker had rejected the no-confidence motion without even considering it for discussion. With this, Imran planned his moves in the hope that he would avoid the embarrassment of losing the trust vote or resigning earlier and thereby dissolving the parliament to hold elections under his caretaker government. In Pakistan, elections must be held within 90 days if the National Assembly is dissolved before the end of its term.