Verdict on no-trust motion coming soon: Supreme Court hint towards restoration of assembly?

The Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) wrapped up the hearing on the ruling of National Assembly (NA) Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri on the dismissal of the no-confidence motion against the interim Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Thursday (today). The court has reserved the verdict, which will be announced at 7:30pm today. The verdict has been reserved after five days of court hearings.

On the final day of the hearing, Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial (CJP) remarked that it is clear that the April 3 ruling is erroneous. “We have to look at national interest,” he said.

CJP noted that the act is a violation of Article 95 (which is related to the vote of no-confidence against the PM in the lower house) and that the elections would cost the nation “billions of rupees”.

Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail observed that the ruling doesn’t have Suri’s signature, it was signed by Speaker Asad Qaiser [who couldn’t preside over the session due to the submission of the no-confidence motion against him in NA].

Justice Ijazul Ahsan said that Imran Khan took advantage of the situation and dissolved NA.

Opposition Leader and Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari appeared before the court and were called to the rostrum.

Shehbaz said that he hoped that when the deputy speaker’s ruling was suspended, the no-confidence motion would be revived. “Let us vote for the no-confidence motion”, the Opposition Leader added.

Justice Mandokhail inquired that if the Opposition wanted to conduct elections from day one, what was the issue now. To this, Shehbaz pointed out that the problem concerns the breaking of the Constitution. Justice Mandokhail replied: “We will repair the Constitution.”

Attorney-General of Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Javed Khan, who was also present before SC argued that the case is over since April 3, the same deputy speaker passed the ruling to dismiss the motion. CJP Bandial said that he wanted to hear from the AGP on the main issue, which is the dissolution of NA.

AGP further said that he isn’t defending the speaker’s ruling. “My concern, for now, is the new elections.”

Since the controversial ruling of the deputy speaker, the matter is in the apex court.

On March 27, Imran Khan accused the United States (US) of interfering in Pakistan’s politics and plotting to oust him through a no-confidence motion in the NA. In a public gathering, he also brandished a ‘threat letter’ [which he claimed was from the US].

Following this, based on this ‘threat letter’, Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri rejected the no-trust motion against the PM on April 3. Later, acting on the PM’s advice, President Arif Alvi dissolved the lower house.

This has plunged Pakistan into a constitutional crisis.