The opposition leaders on Saturday threatened to hamper the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) conference, scheduled to take place on March 22-23 in Islamabad, if no-trust vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan is delayed by the National Assembly speaker.
Addressing a press conference along with PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman in Islamabad, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the law and rules dictate that proceedings on the no-confidence motion filed against the prime minister must start by Monday with the speaker calling a session for the same on the next day.
“We want Monday’s session to start with no-confidence motion but if it is not summoned by Monday then we will stage a sit-in the house… we will then see how you will be able to organise the OIC conference.”
He urged NA Speaker Asad Qaiser not to become a “worker of PTI”, asking him to think about the country and OIC conference first.
“If the speaker doesn’t change his undemocratic behaviour, I will convince the entire opposition… we want the OIC moot to go smoothly but it appears that the government doesn’t want that to happen,” he added.
Bilawal said that the government doesn’t want the opposition to remain peaceful as it first attacked Parliament Lodges and then attacked Sindh House in the federal capital.
“Imran Khan, after seeing his defeat, has started taking these undemocratic measures… I want to congratulate the masses as Imran Khan has lost the majority and his regime is over,” he added.
Speaking on the occasion, Shehbaz gave his consent to Bilawal’s proposition and said that if the speaker does not call the session within the stipulated time and uses “delaying tactics, we will then be compelled to stage a sit-in in the assembly hall”.
Those coming to attend the OIC summit are the guest of the entire nation, he said, adding, “But we will not allow you to go against the law and Constitution under the garb of this [OIC conference]. We will stage a sit-in then.”
Shehbaz also said that the NA speaker will not be mentioned positively in the history books and he will not be able to refer to people in his own constituency if he continues to attend PTI meetings and favouring the ruling party.
Talking about PTI’s allegation on the opposition regarding horse-trading, he said: “They (PTI) should first look at themselves…. Let us proceed in line with the law and Constitution and they (dissident PTI lawmakers) should be allowed to exercise their right to vote”.
Fazl said that the premier is using ‘vulgar language’ during his public gatherings.
“When the members were being transported via a plane [to support the government] then the act was called the voice of conscience but now when the same members are voting against the government, they are being called mules,” he added.
“Our destination is near… we will take this illegitimate and incompetent government to its end,” he further said.
Earlier on Friday, Bilawal had said that PM Imran Khan would not be allowed to become a “political martyr” amid worsening crisis in the country.
Speaking on a talk show, he had claimed that Imran Khan is trying to provoke the “third force” by creating a crisis through the use of force.
He had congratulated people, saying the PM has lost the majority’s support and his government has “collapsed”.
He had added that the premier had attempted to terrorise the opposition by “first attacking the Parliament Lodges and then Sindh House, but we won’t be cowed down.”
He had said the use of force by the prime minister is a violation of Article 6 of the Constitution.
