Pakistan: Imran Khan skips Assembly session; opposition urges Speaker to follow Constitution
Islamabad (Pakistan), April 9: Contrary to his earlier statement that he would play the game till the last ball, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was conspicuous by his absence from the National Assembly, which began its sessions on Saturday to take up the no-confidence motion on the Supreme Court's direction.
The no-confidence motion is the fourth issue on the National Assembly's agenda for the day. While the opposition has come out in force, only a few members of the Treasury benches were there. According to Geo News, Prime Minister Imran Khan was also absent from the House.
Taking the floor, the leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif hailed Thursday as a historic day when the Supreme court rejected the Deputy Speaker's decision to reject the no-confidence motion. According to the PML-N leader, the apex court's decision had made Pakistan's future "bright."
He further thanked the Opposition leaders for leading protests against the erroneous ruling of the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly.
He urged Speaker Asad Qaiser of the National Assembly to follow the Supreme Court's directions, claiming that Parliament will be writing history today.
"Today, Parliament is going to defeat a selected prime minister in a Constitutional manner," he said.
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Shehbaz urged the Speaker to let bygones be bygones and to stand for the law and the Constitution while asking him to play his role and get his name "written in history in golden words".
"You must cash in on this moment with conviction and with your heart and mind. Don't act on the dictation of the selected Prime Minister," he said, adding that the apex court's directives were clear.
In response to Shehbaz's earnest plea, Qaiser assured the Opposition leader that he would conduct proceedings according to the law and the Constitution.
"[But] the important thing is that there has been talk of an international conspiracy. This should also be discussed," he remarked, as the hall echoed with protests from the Opposition benches.
"The SC's orders will be followed in true letter and spirit," he added.
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-PTC News
