Suri optimistic about defeating no-trust motion

NA deputy speaker says he has always run lower house according to Constitution

QUETTA: The National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri has said no-confidence motion against him will face a similar fate as the one brought against the Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani on August 1.

“A no-confidence motion was brought against Senate chairman [Sanjrani] who hails from Balochistan as well. This resolution against me will face similar fate," said Suri on Saturday while talking to media after attending a graduation ceremony at the Pak-Turk School in Quetta.

Suri was talking with reference to the no-confidence motion submitted by the opposition parties in the National Assembly against him on Friday for violating “the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business, 2007”. The opposition said the deputy speaker had lost confidence of the majority of the house.

"For the last 15 months, the National Assembly has been running according to the Constitution and the law,” the deputy speaker added. He claimed that the number of production orders issued during the tenure of the present assembly is more than those issued in the past.

To a question with regard to Balochistan Awami Party’s (BNP) stance on the resolution, Suri said Mengal led BNP has always been voting for the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) – which is the BNP’s coalition partner in the Centre – and will do so in the future.

Talking with reference to the bail granted to former premier Nawaz Sharif, Suri said Nawaz received bail relief on basis of severe illness.  “If the PPP [Pakistan Peoples Party] also wants relief for [its co-chairman] Asif Ali Zardari, it should also approach the court. The government will implement court orders,” he said.

He said the health of Nawaz Sharif should not be politicised.

"We do not want anything to happen to him and do not want to politicise the matter either. Nawaz Sharif was allowed by the court on medical grounds," Suri said.

Earlier, he said Turkey has always stood with Pakistan and the Turkish education system in the form of Pak-Turk Schools and Colleges has been spreading education in Pakistan

“The Turkish government has always supported Pakistan’s stance on Kashmir and other issues and there are longstanding brotherly relations between both the nations,” Suri said.

He said the Turkish schools have been imparting quality education to ‘our’ children which would be beneficial for Pakistan. “Balochistan is replete with talent and our young people have been playing a role in the development of Pakistan and the province,” he said.

He vowed to ensure provision of quality education in Balochistan, adding that Prime Minister Imran Khan has been taking bold measures to uplift educational structure in the province. “The federal government would send country’s students on scholarship to Turkey,” he said.

He urged the young people to pursue higher education in order to end illiteracy and poverty from Balochistan. At the ceremony, children performed dance on traditional Baloch music and national songs. The deputy speaker distributed results and awards among students.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 12^th, 2019.