Prime Minister Imran Khan will address the nation on Friday (today), after the Thursday night Supreme Court order that restored the National Assembly, declared the ruling of the National Assembly deputy speaker issued on April 3 null and void and also declared the dissolution of the House illegal and against the Constitution.
The top court issued the verdict in the suo moto case related to the ruling of National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri to dismiss the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan on April 3, followed by the dissolution of the National Assembly by President Arif Alvi on the premier's advice.
“It is declared that the [no-confidence] Resolution [against the prime minister] was pending and subsisting at all times and continues to so remain pending and subsisting,” read the SC’s short order. All the five judges of the larger bench unanimously voted 5-0 against the deputy speaker’s ruling.
Reacting to such a development, PM Imran called the cabinet and parliamentary party meetings on Friday (today).
In a tweet, he said: “Tomorrow [Friday] evening I will address the nation. My message to our nation is I have always & will continue to fight for Pak till the last ball.”
The apex court had also ordered that the session of the lower house of parliament reconvene on Saturday no later than 10:30am, saying that the session cannot be prorogued without the conclusion of the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.
“The deputy speaker gave a ruling on April 3. Leave was granted on the no-confidence motion on March 28. The ruling of the speaker is declared unconstitutional,” Justice Bandial had declared.
If the no-confidence motion becomes successful, the new prime minister will be elected in the same session of the National Assembly under Article 91 of the Constitution read with Rule 32 of the NA, according to the top court orders.
It further directed that no member of the lower house of the Parliament would be barred to attend the session of the National Assembly for voting on the no-confidence motion.
However, the apex court clarified that “nothing in this short order shall affect the operation of Article 63A of the Constitution”, which is related to the defection of lawmakers for violating the party policy.
Moreover, opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif hailed the SC order, saying that they would give a “genuine surprise”, and not a “fake one” on the day of voting on the no-confidence motion against PM Imran on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in a tweet said that democracy was the best revenge.
