Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan advises President to dissolve the National Assembly and calls for new elections

*Paromita Das

The no-trust motion against embattled Prime Minister Imran Khan was dismissed by Pakistan National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri on Sunday, citing a violation of Article 5 of the Constitution.

After opposition parties filed a no-confidence motion against Speaker Asad Qaiser, Suri presided over the crucial session. Opposition lawmakers, who had earlier expressed confidence in the success of the no-confidence motion as they marched to Parliament House, protested the decision. In a statement issued after the no-confidence motion was defeated, Prime Minister Imran Khan stated that he has advised President Arif Alvi to dissolve the National Assembly and hold new elections.
Khan, who came to power in 2018 on the promise of establishing a ‘Naya Pakistan,’ is at a crossroads in his political career, having lost his majority following a defection from his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. Two of his allied parties also abandoned him and joined the ranks of the resurrected opposition.

“The government has broken the law. The vote on the no-confidence motion was not allowed. The opposition will not leave parliament. Our attorneys are on their way to the Supreme Court. We urge ALL institutions to protect, uphold, defend, and implement Pakistan’s constitution.”
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan stated that he has changed the game on the no-trust motion filed against him, and that the nation will benefit from it on Sunday when the National Assembly (NA) votes on the motion. However, the Prime Minister hinted that he will not accept defeat following the no-trust vote, according to Samaa TV.

Khan announced in an exclusive interview with Samaa TV that his party’s MNAs will attend the Sunday session.

His statement about refusing to accept defeat came on the same day he urged his supporters to hold protests.

“I’ve changed the rules. The difference is that previously, we told our people (MNAs) not to go (to the NA on the day of the no-trust vote), but now our people will go to the Assembly.
If Imran Khan loses the election, parliament will continue to function, and the National Assembly will elect a new prime minister to serve until August 2023, when a general election will be held within 60 days. However, the new premier has the option of holding early elections before August 2023. Despite the fact that the opposition parties demonstrated their strength in the previous session by insisting on voting on the motion without the support of the PTI’s disgruntled members, the deputy speaker adjourned the session for April 3 – Sunday.
Article 95 of the Constitution states that “a resolution referred to in clause (1) shall not be voted upon before the expiration of three days, or later than seven days, from the day on which such resolution is moved in the National Assembly.” Article 95, clause (4), states that “the Prime Minister shall cease to hold office if the resolution referred to in clause (1) is passed by a majority of the total membership of the National Assembly.”
Rule 37 (6) of the Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007, also states that ‘the resolution shall not be voted upon before the expiry of three days, or later than seven days, from the day on which the resolution is moved in the Assembly.’

The procedure for recording votes is defined in the Second Schedule of the NA rules. Before voting begins, the speaker must direct that the bells be rung for five minutes to allow members who are not present in the chamber to be present.
All Lobby entrances shall be locked immediately after the bells stop ringing, and the Assembly staff stationed at each entrance shall not allow any entry or exit through those entrances until the voting has concluded.

“The Speaker shall then read out the resolution before the assembly and ask the members who wish to vote in favour of the resolution to pass in single file through the entrance where tellers shall be posted to record the votes,” it continues. When each member arrives at the tellers’ desk, he must call out the division number assigned to him by the rules.

The tellers will then cross his number off the division list while simultaneously calling out the member’s name.
To ensure that his vote is properly recorded, the member shall not leave the room until he clearly hears the teller call out his name. After recording his vote, a member may not return to the Chamber until the bells are rung in accordance with paragraph 3.

“When the Speaker discovers that all members who wished to vote have cast their ballots, he shall declare that voting has ended.” The Secretary shall then collect the division list, count the recorded votes, and present the results of the count to the Speaker.
The Speaker will then order that the bells be rung for two minutes to allow members to return to the Chamber. “The Speaker shall announce the result to the Assembly after the bells have stopped ringing,” it adds.
The ruling party has doubled its efforts to gain public support hours before the crucial vote on the no-confidence motion against Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, as Pakistan PM has called on the country’s youth to protest for two days against the “foreign conspiracy” to depose him.
He claimed that this plot was hatched against his government because Pakistan’s National Assembly is set to vote on a no-confidence motion against him on Sunday, according to Geo TV.
On Saturday, during a live Question and Answer session with the public, Imran Khan stated, “…I want you to protest for a peaceful and prosperous Pakistan.”
The Human Rights Commission (HRCP) has strongly warned the federal government not to use unconstitutional means to prevent members of Parliament from attending Sunday’s National Assembly session, which will include a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan.
“State institutions, likewise, have no right to intervene in what is a parliamentary process. In neither case have such actions resolved or even alleviated Pakistan’s long-standing problems as a fledgling democracy “according to a statement issued by the HRCP.