Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan threw his country into disarray by getting the National Assembly dissolved and announcing that fresh elections would be held. This he did prior to the no-trust vote on Sunday which required him to prove his majority, which he has lost as his allies have deserted him.
“I have written to the President to dissolve the assemblies. There should be elections in a democratic way. I call upon the people of Pakistan to prepare for elections,” Khan said in an address to the nation.
His announcement came moments after National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri, who was chairing Sunday’s session, dismissed the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, terming it a contradiction of Article 5 of the Constitution. Imran Khan congratulated every Pakistani on the Speaker’s decision and said: “The no-confidence motion was a foreign conspiracy against us. The nation should decide who should govern them… not the corrupt people who conspire with foreign powers… Prepare for elections. You will decide.”
Imran Khan said that the conspiracy hatched by a foreign country to topple the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government in the country has failed.
Earlier it was reported that Imran Khan had offered to dissolve the Assembly on the condition to withdraw the no-confidence motion against him. Khan had said that he was given three options ahead of the no-trust vote by the “establishment”—resignation, holding early elections or facing the no-confidence motion.
President Arif Alvi dissolved the National Assembly on Imran Khan’s advice, with fresh elections likely to be held in the next 90 days, a year ahead of schedule.
The Pakistan Army, however, denied its role in the events that led to the dissolution of the country’s National Assembly. “Absolutely not,” Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar said when asked if the military had a role to play in the events that led to the dissolution of the National Assembly.
The Chief of Pakistan Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and the Directive General (DG) of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) had met Pakistan PM on Wednesday at the request of the ruling government, according to The News International citing sources.
The Pakistani Opposition has decided to stage a dharna at the National Assembly till the no-trust vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan is not held.
Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the Opposition members have
decided to protest against the “unconstitutional” move in the National Assembly and have decided to not leave the floor till their Constitutional rights are not given to them. “Government has violated the Constitution by not allowing voting on the no-confidence motion. United Opposition is not leaving Parliament. Our lawyers are on their way to Supreme Court. We call on all institutions to protect, uphold, defend and implement the Constitution of Pakistan,” Bilawal tweeted.
“Everyone has seen what happened in Pakistan today. President, Speaker can easily see that the Opposition had a majority against Imran Khan in the no-confidence motion,” said Bilawal.
Lashing out at the Deputy Speaker, he said, “He has done unconstitutional thing at the last moment. He broke the Constitution of Pakistan. The no-trust vote had to take place today as per the Constitution.”
Announcing the Opposition’s decision to stage a dharna, Bilawal said, “We are also in talks with our lawyers, we will go to Supreme Court so that the voting can take place today itself. In the light of the majority being with Opposition, the House cannot be dissolved.”
He also lashed at Imran Khan and advised him to stop behaving like a child and running away from fights and appealed to Pakistani citizens to side with the Constitution and believe in democratic values, adding “do not allow puppet or non-democratic person to rob your rights”.
Later Bilawal Bhutto Zardari termed Imran Khan as a “tiny dictator” who attempted a coup in the country by dissolving the National Assembly. Bilawal’s remarks came in response to Imran Khan’s tweet where he expressed astonishment over the Opposition’s reaction to the developments at the National Assembly. “Astonished by reaction of PDM to our calling for general elections. They have been crying hoarse about how our government has failed and lost support of the people so why the fear of elections now? Democrats go to the people for support,” tweeted Khan.
“Isn’t it better for PDM to accept elections rather than being part of a foreign conspiracy for regime change; and indulging in blatant purchasing of loyalties thereby destroying our nation’s moral fibre,” he added.
Reacting to Imran Khan’s accusations, Bilawal said that the demand for early elections was not raised by Imran Khan but by the Opposition; however, dissolution of the Assembly when a no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister was pending would not be accepted.
“Your coup attempt will not succeed. Early elections was our demand, not yours. No confidence, electoral reforms, early free and fair elections are our long stated goal. When there’s a no confidence motion pending against PM and speaker, you can’t dissolve assemblies and speaker can’t end the session without voting on the NCM. Today you proved you are nothing but a tiny little dictator whose ego is more important than our constitution. We proved we are ready to vote you out of parliament and will vote you out in elections,” tweeted the PPP chairman.
Meanwhile, supporters of PM Imran Khan started sloganeering outside Pakistan Parliament shouting: Imran Khan will save Pakistan.
“Imran Khan will save Pakistan…Whoever is America’s friend is a traitor,” the supporters could be heard shouting. They were also raising “Imran Khan Zindabad” slogans.
Imran Khan has seemingly lost support both in the Lower House of the legislature and the backing of the all-powerful Pakistan Army.
Imran Khan received a massive blow when the PTI “lost the majority” in the National Assembly after losing its key ally in the coalition Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P). The MQM on Wednesday announced that it had struck a deal with the opposition Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and would support the no-trust vote in the 342-member National Assembly.
IMRAN SACKS PUNJAB GOVERNOR
Amid the chaos, Pakistan President Arif Alvi also removed the Governor of Punjab, Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar on the recommendation of the federal government and appointed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) former information secretary Omar Sarfraz Cheema as the new Governor under Article 101 of the Constitution. Sarwar’s removal was recommended ahead of the provincial assembly session, where a new Chief Minister of Punjab was to be elected.
Announcing the decision Pakistan’s information and broadcasting minister Fawad Chaudhry wrote on his official Twitter account, “The federal government has removed Punjab Governor Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar from his post. The new governor of Punjab will be announced later. According to the constitution, the deputy speaker will be the acting governor,”. Afterwards, the name of Omar Sarfraz Cheema was announced by the President’s office.
The outgoing Punjab’s Governor Sarwar targeted the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership for the mismanagement in the biggest province of the country. He said,
“Everyone in Punjab including the PTI workers and the federal ministers complained to us whether this was the Pakistan that we wanted where the chief secretary and inspector general are changed every three months,” on the issue of corruption he added, “bribery has reached the grassroots levels, but we vowed to stand with Imran Khan,”.
Chaudhry Muhammad Sarwar was a United Kingdom’s Member of Parliament from 1997 to 2010, representing a constituency in Glasgow, Scotland. He relinquished UK citizenship in July 2013 and became Governor of the Punjab, representing the Pakistan Muslim League (N). He resigned from the position on 29 January 2015 after disagreeing with government foreign policy. He joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) on 10 February 2015.
With inputs from Mayank Kumar