| PML-N’s Javed Abbasi submits motion to NA Assembly | Blames Qasim Suri of “repeatedly” violating rules, parliamentary practices, democratic norms and traditions | Last week, Opposition submitted no-confidence motion against NA Speaker Asad Qaiser | Besides, KP’s opposition also submits no-trust motion against CM
By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: The opposition submitted a no-confidence resolution against National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri on Friday, a day before voting on a no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan is scheduled to take place.
The resolution, addressed to the secretary of the National Assembly Secretariat, was submitted by Murtaza Javed Abbasi of the PML-N.
According to the resolution, the deputy speaker had “repeatedly violated the rules, parliamentary practices, democratic norms and traditions, and even Constitutional provisions and when presiding over the House, failed to conduct proceedings in an orderly manner to enable productive debate on issues of public importance”.
After the opposition submitted a no-confidence resolution against Speaker Asad Qaiser on April 3, Suri had presided over the NA session. Minutes after the session began, the deputy speaker had dismissed the no-trust resolution against PM Imran terming it contradictory to Article 5 of the Constitution.
In the no-confidence resolution submitted against Suri Friday, Abbasi stated that instead of performing his role fairly and impartially, the deputy speaker acted in a “blatantly partisan manner” that had favoured the government and frequently deprived the opposition of their right to voice their views and the views of their electorates.
Referring to Suri’s decision to dismiss the no-trust move against the prime minister, the resolution stated that the deputy speaker “wilfully and mala fidely subverted the Constitution” and his actions fell under the purview of Article 6, which is related to treason.
Meanwhile, the Opposition on Friday turned its guns toward Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and submitted a no-confidence motion against him in the KP Assembly.
A delegation of senior lawmakers submitted the no-trust motion against Khan.
“We beg to move that leave may be granted under sub-rule (1) of rule 18D of the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Procedure and Conduct of Business Rules to move a resolution of no-confidence against the Chief Minister under Article 136 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” the notice read.
According to the resolution: “Mahmood Khan has ceased to command the confidence of the majority of the Members of this Assembly as this Assembly as the Chief Minister, it is hereby resolved that the said Mr Mahmood Khan shall stand ceased to hold the said office.”
It is worth mentioning that the National Assembly’s session for voting on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan will take place at 10:30am today (Saturday) in line with the Supreme Court’s order.
In the National Assembly’s (NA) agenda issued Friday, voting on the no-confidence motion is at the fourth position in the six-point agenda.
