Govt in a hurry to ‘wrap up’ no-trust move

NA speaker asked to convene session next week before OIC meeting

ISLAMABAD:

The government on Thursday decided not to give much time to the opposition on the no-confidence motion and federal ministers have suggested that the matter should be wrapped up before the session of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in the federal capital.

The ministers have also asked National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser to convene a session of the lower house of parliament for this purpose next week.

They also suggested that voting should be held next week after three days of debate.

The ministers were of the view that the wrapping up of the no-trust motion before the OIC session would be major victory for the government.

NA Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri, Senator Ayub Afridi and MNA Sher Akbar Khan were among those who met Qaiser.

The final decision would be made by Qaiser on the recommendation of the National Assembly Secretariat.

The speaker has also consulted the NA Secretariat officials on the venue of the OIC session.

The secretariat officials informed him that the carpeting process in the NA Hall had been completed.

The renovation work of parliament is likely to be completed in the next three days in connection with the OIC session.

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According to the rules, an NA session has to be convened in 14 days after the submission of a requisition – which will be completed on March 22.

On March 8, the united opposition front had submitted a requisition for a no-confidence motion against the chief executive of the country – Prime Minister Imran Khan – while pinning its hopes for its success on the estranged members of the ruling party and its allies.

The submission of the requisition was followed by a news conference by the top leadership of the opposition parties, including PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, JUI-F and PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and PPP leader Asif Zardari, who said that the days of the prime minister were numbered and that no rhetoric could save him anymore.

At the news conference, the top guns of the opposition parties appeared confident that they would succeed in passing the no-trust motion against the premier, saying the opposition would surely bring the members and make sure that it had more than 172 members’ support.