Daily Times

The crucial National Assembly session that started on Thursday with a delay of almost two hours to debate the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan was adjourned till Sunday 11:30am.

Chaired by Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri, the much-anticipated session could not take up the no-confidence motion that was part of a list of agenda items released by the NA Secretariat Wednesday night.

“It seems no one is serious enough to run the house smoothly as to further discuss their respective questions raised earlier,” said Qasim Suri. Hence the proceedings are adjourned till Sunday 11:30am. According to the order of the day released by the NA Secretariat, it was said that the no-trust move against the premier would be discussed.

As per observation, the session was attended by over 172 members from the opposition benches. As the session kicked off, during the question and answer session, all the opposition members demanded the deputy speaker to allow voting on the no-confidence motion. However, despite the session’s adjournment, around 150 opposition lawmakers staged a sit-in in the lower house. They dispersed shortly afterwards.

Apparently, PM Imran Khan has lost majority in the lower house after the PTI allies – MQM, BAP, JWP, and independent MNA from Balochistan Aslam Bhootani – decided to side with the opposition.

The prime minister, after the allies started leaving the government camp, has time and again repeated that he will not resign and “fight till the last ball”.

Imran Khan, who waved a “threat letter” at a March 27 rally in Islamabad, has said that the memo warned the country of consequences if the no-confidence motion did not pass. Later, several federal ministers, including Fawad Chaudhry and Asad Umar, claimed that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) leadership were also involved in the “foreign conspiracy”.As per NA rules of business, the resolution shall not be voted upon before the expiry of three days, or later than seven days, from the day on which the resolution is moved in the assembly.

Following the adjournment of the session, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said the government comprised of “cowards” who just talked big outside the parliament.

“They never allow the parliamentary proceedings to move forward during the question and answer session; every lawmaker asked when voting on the no-confidence motion will take place,” she added.

The PML-N leader claimed that the treasury benches were chanting and wanted to clash with the opposition. “Don’t they have any manners?” Aurangzeb asked.

On the boycott of the National Assembly’s Security Committee meeting, the PML-N spokesperson said the opposition was not informed about it.

“We got to know about it through the media, thus we are boycotting it.”

Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif had tabled the no-confidence motion against PM Imran Khan on March 28 making him the third premier in Pakistan’s history to face the move.