As Prime Minister Imran Khan of Pakistan fights for survival with opposition parties moving a no-confidence motion in Parliament, the country’s military, which seems to have withdrawn its support to him, wants him to resign “respectfully” on his own, according to sources.
Another option, which Khan is exploring is that he calls the National Assembly before the Supreme Court gives out its interpretation of Article 36-A of the Constitution after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf filed a petition seeking a clarification on it after nearly two dozen lawmakers threaten to vote in favour of the opposition’s no-trust vote.
The article says anyone voting against the directive of the party leader against key issues such as the no-trust vote or money bill will be disqualified.
The Supreme Court bench had announced to form a five-member bench after the preliminary hearing in the case, and adjourned the hearing till March 24.
Now, a third option before the cricketer-turned-politician, Khan, is that he calls the national assembly and let the voting take place, and he then gets removed.
In case Khan does not resign himself, he will be removed from the office, and will be sent to the jail in a foreign funding case, according to sources from Pakistan.
Khan was elected in 2018 on promises of putting the Pakistan’s economy back on track, fighting corruption and maintain an independent foreign policy.
Khan’s PTI is trying to seek a ruling that an erring member’s vote should not be counted so that vote of its dissident lawmakers in the favour of the no-trust move should not add to the total number of votes against the Prime Minister.
These votes are crucial as the opposition needs 172 votes to remove PM Khan along with his cabinet.
Around 100 lawmakers from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) submitted the no-confidence motion before the National Assembly Secretariat on March 8, alleging that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf government led by Khan was responsible for the economic crisis and the spiralling inflation in the country.
In the 342-member National Assembly, Khan’s PTI needs at least 172 members on its side to remain in the government. So far, it has 155 members in the House, and has support of 23 members belonging to at least six political parties. The Opposition needs 172 votes to remove Khan.
Around two dozen dissident lawmakers of ruling PTI have come out in the open ahead of the voting against Khan, with the government accusing the opposition of horse-trading.
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