A session of the National Assembly has been summoned for Saturday when Prime Minister Imran Khan will seek a vote of confidence from the parliament, it emerged on Thursday.
Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain shared the news on Twitter and said that the session will commence at 12:15pm on Saturday.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday night, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had announced that the prime minister would seek a vote of confidence from the parliament after the ruling PTI lost the hotly contested Senate general seat from Islamabad to the joint opposition. The joint opposition candidate Yousuf Raza Gilani won the general seat, beating PTI’s Abdul Hafeez Shaikh. Gilani secured 169 votes while Shaikh bagged 164 votes.
“Those standing with Imran Khan will be seen on one side and those who are not, and think they like the ideology of the PPP and PML-N have every right to join their ranks,” Qureshi had said.
Reports said Prime Minister Imran Khan has barred members of National Assembly (MNAs) of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) from leaving Islamabad. He has directed all members to ensure their attendance in the next session of the National Assembly. Chief Whip Aamir Dogar has conveyed directions of the prime minister to all lawmakers of the ruling party.
Clause 7 of Article 91 of the Constitution explains how the prime minister can seek the confidence of the National Assembly. According to Article 91 (7), the prime minister shall hold office during the pleasure of the President, but the President shall not exercise his powers under this clause unless he is satisfied that the prime minister does not command the confidence of the majority of the members of the National Assembly, in which case he shall summon the National Assembly and require the prime minister to obtain a vote of confidence from the Assembly. However, the president will summon a new session of the National Assembly for the prime minister to seek a vote of confidence following the government’s summary is moved on the subject.
It is pertinent to note that the voting on confidence motion is conducted openly. As per Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the House, 2007 of the National Assembly, following the convening of the session, a resolution for the vote of confidence will be moved as the order of the day. Then exercise will start through a division of vote immediately. However, in case of a no-confidence move, a notice of resolution has to be given by not less than 20% members of the total membership of the House. The resolution will not be voted upon until three days and not later than seven days.
