- House is likely to be adjourned without business today due to demise of Khayal Zaman MNA
- 15-point heavy agenda suggests no trust motion may be moved on Monday
- 152 Opposition members have moved no trust move against Imran Khan
ISLAMABAD: A crucial session of the National Assembly is all set to meet today at 11am to deliberate on the opposition’s no-confidence resolution against Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The session, which will be the 41st of the current National Assembly, has been summoned after the joint opposition made the requisition for it under Article 54 of the Constitution along with the submission of the no-confidence motion against the prime minister on March 8. National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar has summoned the session at the Parliament House at 11:00am.
According to the 15-point agenda issued by the National Assembly secretariat, around 147 members of the National Assembly have moved the motion seeking grant of leave to move no trust motion against Prime Minister Khan. All members of the motion belong to the opposition benches and none of the PTI rebels have moved the motion.
“That leave be granted to move resolution for vote of no confidence under Article 95 (1) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, read with rule 37 of the Rules and Procedures and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007, against Mr. Imran Khan, the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” reads the agenda, a copy of which is available with Pakistan Today.
Meanwhile, 152 MNAs have moved the no trust motion against Prime Minister Khan if leave is granted.
“This House is of the view that the Prime Minister of Pakistan Mr Imran Khan, has lost the confidence of the majority of the members of the National Assembly of Pakistan, therefore, he should cease to hold office,” the motion reads.
However, according to sources, the National Assembly session is likely to be adjourned today without taking up any business due to demise of Khayal Zaman MNA. Khayal Zaman, the PTI lawmaker from Kurram Agency, had recently died due after suffering from cancer disease.
“As per the parliamentary tradition, there is no business in the House on the first day of the new session after any sitting lawmaker dies,” an official told Pakistan Today requesting anonymity.
Other than the no trust motion, there is a heavy business as 15-point agenda items reflect that Speaker National Assembly may not take up the no trust motion today.
Earlier, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari hit out at the government and Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaisar for allegedly ‘violating the Constitution’ by exceeding the 14-day limit of convening a National Assembly session after a requisition of the session was filed by the opposition.
According to Article 54, once a session of the National Assembly has been requisitioned with signatures of at least 25 percent of the members on it, the speaker has a maximum of 14 days to summon a session. Therefore, the speaker had to call the lower house in session by March 22.
Bilawal accused the NA speaker of flouting the Constitution, saying the opposition would pursue the matter legally at the Supreme Court. “Our lawyers will raise legal and constitutional points on the matter and our case is strong,” he said. He pointed out that there was a 14-day limit after the requisition to call a session, stressing that the speaker could not go beyond the limit as it was “unconstitutional”.
