ISLAMABAD:Deputy Speaker of National Assembly Qasim Suri Sunday rejected the vote of no-confidence motion moved by the joint opposition against Prime Minister Imran Khan, on the basis of Article 5 of the Constitution of Pakistan, under which loyalty to the state was the basic duty of every citizen.
The deputy speaker, in his ruling, said the no-confidence motion should be in line with the Constitution, laws and rules.
“No foreign power has the right to topple an elected government under any conspiracy. So I give the ruling that the no-confidence resolution is against the national integrity and sovereignty and I give the ruling to disallow the no-confidence resolution as per rules and law.”
Earlier, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain apprised the National Assembly about an international conspiracy to topple the democratically elected government in Pakistan and asked the chair to determine the admissibility of the no-confidence resolution. He said Article 5 (1) was about the loyalty to state and obedience to the Constitution, and under which loyalty to the state was the basic duty of every citizen.
Prime Minister Imran Khan, in a televised address to the nation immediately after the rejection of the resolution, announced that he had advised the president to dissolve the National Assembly, paving way for the holding of fresh elections in the country.
As the House proceedings started under the chair of Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri, Fawad, who also has the portfolio of Law Minister, took the floor and said in a normal situation, a no-confidence motion was moved under Article 95 of the Constitution, which was a democratic right.
But in the instant case, he requested the chair to invoke Article 5(1) of the Constitution which stated “loyalty to the state is the basic duty of every citizen”, while keeping in view the fact that it was being moved under an international conspiracy.
The minister told the House that on March 7 Pakistan’s ambassador was summoned to an official meeting by a country with the team of note-takers and was informed that a no-trust motion would be moved against the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
On March 8, he said the motion against the prime minister was submitted to the National Assembly Secretariat. Pakistan was warned by that country that future bilateral ties were linked to the success of the motion.
The minister said it was unfortunate that the regime change plot was being carried out at the behest of foreign elements under a conspiracy, adding that some of the government allies and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf members also joined the plan.
“It is not the matter of no-confidence, it is a blatant violation of Article 5(1) of the Constitution,” he said putting a question before the House on whether foreign assistance could be taken for regime change in Pakistan?
“There should be a ruling on Article 5 (1),” he requested the chair.