Islamabad | Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Thursday ruled in a landmark judgment that the deputy speaker of the National Assembly has rejected the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan and the president’s decision to dissolve the lower house. The PM’s advice was contrary to the Constitution and the law of the land. According to the Express Tribune, the court also ordered the resumption of the National Assembly and convene its session on Saturday to conduct the vote on the no-confidence motion moved against Imran Khan.
A five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandiyal, which also included Justices Muneeb Akhtar, Jamal Khan Mandokhel, Ijazul Ahsan and Mazhar Alam Khan, delivered the verdict, which was reserved earlier in the day.
The top court also summoned its officials, including the secretary of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
Earlier, during the hearing of the case, Bandiyal, in consultation with his fellow judges, said that it was clear that the vice-chairman’s decision to dismiss the no-confidence motion against the prime minister was wrong.
The Chief Justice remarked that there would be no stability in the country even after the restoration of the National Assembly, which was dissolved as a result of the ruling, the Express Tribune reported.
Attorney General Khalid Javed Khan argued that everyone needs to be loyal to the state. He said he was not defending the decision. “However, I think a new election is the only solution,” he said.
