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ISLAMABAD, (MANEND NEWS): The combined opposition declared April 3 as the darkest day in the country’s history and accused Imran Khan of imposing civil martial law in the country.
“On November 3, General (retd) Pervez Musharraf had taken the same dictatorial and fascist step and Imran Khan and his followers have clearly violated the Constitution, as the speaker had adjourned the no-confidence motion on March 24 as per the intention of the House. And if there was an objection, then why the leave was granted,” said PMLN President Shehbaz Sharif and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Other opposition leaders, including Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUIF) leader Asad Mehmood, MQMP Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, and Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNPM) chief Akhtar Mengal were also present. The combined opposition would not become a part of the process for the caretaker government till the announcement of decision of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, they said.
Bilawal said the no-confidence was the only democratic, legal and constitutional means to remove a prime minister, but the government tried to sabotage it and did not realise that it had committed a serious crime.
When asked about the president’s letter to nominate a caretaker government, the PMLN president said how was it possible for the defenders of the Constitution to respond to a letter of unconstitutionality. “The court will decide the matter first and then we will take up the matter. Will be decided in consultation,” he said.
Shehbaz termed the four-year tenure of the PTI-led government a period of “an individual government, totalitarian and fascist in nature.” About the “foreign threat letter” controversy, he said that Pakistan’s Ambassador Asad Majeed hosted a farewell dinner on March 16 and invited all US officials, even those who were accused by PM Imran Khan.
Moreover, he added, in his tweet, Asad Majeed thanked Donald Lu over good relations and cooperation. “If the letter was dated March 7 and highlighted the involvement of Donald Lu, why was the ambassador acknowledging the US official during the dinner on March 16,” he highlighted, questioning why Lu was invited for the dinner if he had threatened Pakistan.
The PMLN leader said that if they had received the foreign letter on March 7, then “why did they not highlight this issue earlier. According to the speech, delivered by the NA deputy speaker, all opposition leaders became traitors,” he said. He said Sunday’s National Assembly proceedings made a joke of the Constitution of Pakistan, laws and Parliament.
About Fawad Chaudhry’s claims that the speaker’s ruling could not be challenged, Shehbaz said: “It is right that no one can challenge the proceedings of the House, but the Constitution was blatantly violated on that day. Does it have any protection,” he asked. Shehbaz said Imran Niazi, President Arif Alvi and Asad Qaiser, all three violated the Constitution.
Bilawal said: “Imran Khan has violated the Constitution, as the speaker could not dissolve the assembly before the vote on the no-confidence motion.” He said the PPP workers were happy that the ‘selected’ prime minister had gone home, “but we are not happy as an illegal act is committed. We want voting on no-confidence motion,” he said.
He said the democracy must continue but Imran Khan and his party were so naive that they were celebrating the removal of their own government. Imran’s government committed suicide. “Imran is the person who was thumping the desk when I had called him a selected prime minister,” the PPP chairman recalled.
Bilawal said, “We are the people who protect democracy and the Constitution. Imran would have been removed through voting on no-confidence as we have shown 197 votes in the National Assembly,” he said.
The PPP chairman said the deputy speaker, prime minister and president violated the Constitution through a conspiracy, and now the Supreme Court had to decide whether the ego of Imran Khan was important or the Constitution. “Today is April 4, the date when the Quaid-e-Awam was judicially assassinated,” he said.
Bilawal said the SC failed to stop the coup of General Zia and General Musharraf. “Now we request the Supreme Court to stop the coup attempt by Imran Khan,” he added. He said the Constitution is not a piece of paper, it binds the federation. “We request for constitution of a full bench of the Supreme Court to hear the case,” he said.
Bilawal said the process of no-confidence must be completed, “If we cannot implement the Constitution in the Parliament, then where can we implement it. “The fate of Pakistan will be decided by the verdict of the Supreme Court,” he said.
Responding to media questions, he said it was written in the Constitution that how a PM is elected and how a PM is removed. “When there is no leader of the house and the leader of the opposition, then consultation on an interim government is futile,” he said.
He said no one has the power to dissolve the assembly when a no-confidence motion had been tabled. “We hope the judiciary will stop the coup by an individual,” he said. Bilawal said Imran Khan had made himself an interim prime minister. “We want free and fair elections, not compromised elections, like in 2018,” he said adding that this is an opportunity for the judiciary to remove the blot on it in the past. “We all including the Parliament and all other institutions have to remove the blot on them,” he added.
He said the opposition had submitted a no-confidence against the speaker, so his powers were ended to prorogue the session. He said, “The Supreme Court should tell us that whether Qasim Suri had the power to declare more than half the strength of the National Assembly? “This joke must end. We hope that the mistakes of the past will not be repeated,” he said.
Asad Mehmood of JUIF said Imran Khan was trying to pressurise the institutions. He said “We will not accept international pressure being exerted under the guise of a threat letter”. He suggested that the higher courts of Pakistan hold Imran Khan accountable for his statements regarding the credibility of judges.
Convener of MQM-Pakistan Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said, “If there was any international conspiracy against the government, they will have to prove it, not us. They should have formed a judicial commission.
“Now it is the job of the courts to prove it. If you are right, then we will stand by you. But if it is proved to be false, then it is a responsibility of all political forces and institutions to have a court decision on their future,” he said.