Pakistan: Opposition drafts no-confidence motion against National Assembly speaker

Mar 13, 2022

Islamabad [Pakistan], March 13 : With the political tensions soaring up in Pakistan amidst the looming no-confidence motion against the Imran Khan government, the Opposition parties in Pakistan have drafted separate motions to oust the current speaker of the National Assembly (NA) Asad Qaiser and Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri, media reports said on Sunday.
The draft of the no-trust motions against the NA speaker and deputy speaker, signed by over 100 Members of the National Assembly (MNAs), has been sent to the Opposition's leadership, The News International reported citing sources.
As per the draft of the no-trust move, the NA speaker and his deputy have been accused of being biased. It said that the duo has violated the rules as they have not yet resigned from their party's posts, the media report said.
The draft also accused the speaker and deputy speaker duo of "attending the party meetings held with Prime Minister Imran Khan."
The NA speaker Qaiser had recently drawn heavy criticism from the Opposition, which alleged that Qaiser had become controversial following his remark that the No-confidence motion against the Imran Khan government will fail and that the motion is a "global conspiracy".
"Who is carrying out this global conspiracy? Where is the evidence?" former NA speaker and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ayaz Sadiq was quoted by The Dawn.
Pakistan people's Party (PPP) Parliamentary leader in Senate Sherry Rehman had said that his act by itself renders himself unfit to preside over any such session, and by saying that the vote of no-confidence was a foreign conspiracy, he was suggesting that the PTI government was only in place due to foreign support.
The fate of the duo is expected to be decided in a meeting of the heads of the Opposition parties scheduled for Monday, The News International further said citing sources.
The report comes at a time when cracks have started to emerge in the ruling PTI coalition with Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed and Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) leader and Federal Minister for Water Resources Chaudhry Moonis Elahi trading jibes.
A senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader, who is part of the talks with the allies of PTI, claimed that the ruling coalition partners have decided to part ways with Imran Khan, but "certain modalities" were being worked out, reported the Dawn newspaper.