Outcry as speaker defers no-trust vote

ISLAMABAD: The combined opposition would have to wait for the start of countdown to voting on the no-confidence resolution against Prime Minister Imran Khan, as the National Assembly met briefly on Friday only to offer condolences [Fateha] for the departed soul of a member of the National Assembly here.

At the outset, the House offered Fateha for the departed soul of MNA Khayal Zaman and those killed in recent acts of terrorism in the country, and then the speaker adjourned the session till Monday. The chair, in his remarks, said it is a parliamentary tradition to adjourn the house after reciting Fateha on the first day of the session, held after the death of a member, adding that it is done to honour the late member of the National Assembly.

Speaker Asad Qaisar said it happened on 19 occasions during the last three assemblies, and for five times during the period of the sitting assembly that the first day's proceedings were adjourned after offering Fateha for any deceased member.

About the no-confidence resolution, the chair said he would act in accordance with the Constitution, the law and the Assembly rules of business. The resolution was present on the order of the day for Friday. However, the speaker acted as expected and adjourned proceedings of the House till Monday (March 28) at 4pm after offering Fateha for the deceased MNA of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and those killed in acts of terrorism.

According to the Assembly sources, all 159 MNAs of the opposition attended the session on Friday. However, the opposition claimed that its 161 members attended the combined parliamentary party meeting, and later on all of them turned to participate in the Assembly proceedings.

Three opposition MNAs, Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali of the MMA, and Ali Wazir and Jam Abdul Karim of the PPP, were not present in the House. A PPP MNA, who is abroad for medical treatment currently, would return after a few days, party sources said. However, none of the dissident PTI members turned up in the National Assembly hall on Friday.

Before the start of National Assembly proceedings on Friday, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said that “nothing special would happen in the session today”.

In a tweet, referring to the final day’s play in the last Test match between Pakistan and Australia, he said everything would happen at Gaddafi Stadium Lahore where Babar Azam Eleven must go to win.

After the Assembly session, the combined opposition censured National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar on Friday for not letting them table a resolution for no-confidence motion against PM Imran Khan, and warned that if he repeated unconstitutional, illegal or non-parliamentary proceedings during Monday's session, they would use every constitutional, legal and political tactic to move the motion.

“The speaker has become Imran Khan's 'stooge' and I warn him that if he violated the Constitution and rules on Monday, then no one should complain afterwards, as we reserve the right to protect our rights," said opposition leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif.

He was talking to the media outside the Parliament House along with PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PMLN Parliamentary leader Asad Mehmood, chief of BNP-Mengal Sardar Akhtar Mengal, Amir Haider Khan Hoti of the ANP and Moshin Dawar of the National Democratic Movement (NDM).

PMLN President Shehbaz Sharif said that the National Assembly speaker did not act as the custodian of the House but like a PTI worker, and trampled the laws and traditions of the Parliament.

He said a resolution for no-confidence motion against the PM was submitted on March 8 after which the speaker was bound to convene a meeting in 14 days. “The OIC meeting was held on March 22-23, and we even postponed our protest as they were our guest,” he added.

The opposition leader said that convening a meeting on the no-confidence motion within 14 days was a legal and constitutional requirement, but the speaker conspired with Imran Niazi and therefore Article 6 should be applied on him. “The role of National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar will be remembered in the history in black words. Offering condolences and prayers are a tradition of the House, but law and Constitution are beyond all traditions,” he added.

"Pakistan is in a standstill condition; the entire nation is looking towards us as the entire economy is in tatters,” Shehbaz said.

Speaking on the occasion, Bilawal said Prime Minister Imran Khan was running away from the no-confidence motion. “What kind of a captain runs away from a contest,” he asked. He said the speaker is a facilitator of Imran Khan and is avoiding taking up no-confidence motion.

“In the name of tradition, the NA speaker is trying to protect Imran Khan,” he said adding that in June 2012, PPP's member National Assembly Fauzia Wahab passed away and a new prime minister had to be elected. “The PPP had fulfilled its constitutional responsibility,” he said.

Bilawal said the government wanted to run away from the no-confidence motion, but the opposition was united and it would not let the selected person escape. “How long will the selected be able to avoid the no-confidence,” he said adding that next week the selected PM [Imran Khan] would become a former prime minister. The PPP chairman said “we will use the democratic weapon of no-confidence against this undemocratic person, Imran Khan”. He felicitated the people of Pakistan who had rejected the selected. “Imran Khan's government has ended and soon he will be a former prime minister,” he said.

Responding to questions, Bilawal said the prime minister and the speaker both were undemocratic persons. “We are resisting all these undemocratic forces with democracy.” A journalist asked whether there will be an “elected prime minister or selected prime minister” in future, the PPP chairman said, “In-sha-Allah, he will be an elected prime minister.”

He said neutrality was still continuing and “our long-term struggle has been for this neutrality. This no-confidence is also part of the same struggle,” he added. Shehbaz also replied to the same question in a lighter vein and said Bilawal did not believe in a selected prime minister.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUIF) Parliamentary leader in the National Assembly Maulana Asad Mehmood said the National Assembly speaker, instead of acting a custodian of the house, was acting like a personal servant of Imran Khan. He said the Constitution, laws and regulations were violated in Parliament today and the speaker has given practical proof of his partiality.

Amir Haider Hoti of the ANP said it would be more appropriate to call the speaker chief whip instead of custodian of the house, as he acted biased. He said they came to power through selection, but “we are sending them home in a dignified manner”.

Chief of BNP-Mengal Sardar Akhtar Mengal said if the government had majority, it did not need using such tactics. “They did not have the majority, that’s why they opted to flee,” he added. Mengal said democracy, parliament and assemblies are run according to the Constitution, and “we have traditions but upholding the Constitution is more important than traditions.

“The present government has not spared any effort in violating the Constitution, therefore the question arises that Article 6 should apply to everyone,” he said.

Separately, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said Prime Minister Imran Khan had no sportsman sprit and he could not face defeat with grace. “The once great Kaptaan will go down like a rat on a sinking ship,” he tweeted from his twitter account on Friday. He said the Speaker provided other weak excuse to avoid tabling the no-confidence motion in National Assembly today. “Imran can’t run forever,” he tweeted.

In a separate media talk, Bilawal said “everyone knows that victory is ours. We had total members of the opposition.” He said the opposition would request for production order of Ali Wazir.

Bilawal said “the victory and defeat are as per Allah's will, but our preparations are complete. You will see what we do,” he said. Meanwhile, the opposition Friday requested the NA Speaker to issue production orders for Ali Wazir MNA, who is in custody of law-enforcement agencies in Karachi. Former speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, along with PPP’s Naveed Qamar and NDM’s Mohsin Dawar, handed over a written request to the National Assembly secretary in this regard.