Pak SC reinstates National Assembly, orders voting on no-confidence motion against Imran
Darpan News Desk IANS, 07 Apr, 2022 11:17 AM
Islamabad, April 7 (IANS) In a landmark judgement, the Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled on Thursday that the National Assembly Deputy Speakers ruling to dismiss the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan and the subsequent dissolution of the Lower House by the President on the PMs advice were contrary to the Constitution and the law of the land, Express Tribune reported.
The court also ordered to reinstate the National Assembly and summon its session on Saturday to hold voting on a no-trust motion moved against Imran Khan.
A five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, which also included Justices Munib Akhtar, Jamal Khan Mandokhel, Ijazul Ahsan and Mazhar Alam Khan, announced the verdict, which was reserved earlier in the day.
The top court also summoned the officials of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), including its secretary.
Earlier, during a hearing of the case, Bandial, after consultation with his fellow judges, observed that it was clear that the ruling of the Deputy Speaker to dismiss the no-confidence motion submitted 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 that had been dissolved as a result of the ruling, Express Tribune reported.
Attorney General Khalid Jawed Khan argued that everyone needed to be loyal to the state. He said that he is not defending the ruling. "However, I think new elections are the only solution," he said.
Pervez Musharraf, 76, who has been living in Dubai since March 2016, is facing a treason case for suspending the Constitution in 2007, a punishable offence for which he was indicted in 2014. A conviction for high treason carries the death penalty or life imprisonment.
Priti Patel, the senior-most minister in the UK Cabinet stressed that while strong encryption was important for privacy, there was a need to balance data security with law enforcement requirements.
The pandal at the cricket ground in Slough is quite unprecedented in the UK as the pujas in the country usually take place in community halls and not in an open ground.
