No-trust notice sent to all MNAs

Three ex-premiers say PM Imran to be held responsible for attack on Sindh House

ISLAMABAD:

On the request of the opposition leaders on Friday, the National Assembly Secretariat informed the MNAs about the no-confidence motion against the prime minister.

A notice was sent to the members under the rules and regulations of the National Assembly, stating that under Article 95 of the Constitution, a no-confidence motion was filed against Imran Khan.

The notice was sent by the National Assembly secretary. A copy of the no-confidence motion was also sent to all members.

Earlier, the opposition leaders sent a letter to the National Assembly speaker and secretary, urging them to immediately distribute the notice of no-confidence motion among the members of the House.

“We have submitted a notice of a resolution under clause I of Article 95 the Constitution on March 8, 2002 in the National Assembly secretariat,” the letter read. It stated that the rules required the secretary to distribute notices of no-confidence motion among the members of the National Assembly.

The letter added that the NA secretary had not yet distributed the no-confidence motion whereas it should be on the agenda of the meeting one day after the distribution of the notice.

“In order to fulfil rule 37 [of the House], the notice should be distributed immediately and entered in the order of the first working day of the session," the letter concluded.

Separately, three former premiers warned the prime minister and interior secretary that they would be held responsible for any adverse action at Sindh House in the federal capital – the place where the PTI dissident lawmakers were staying to escape the “wrath” of the government for deciding to join the opposition in its no-confidence move.

PPP leaders Yousuf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervez Ashraf as well as PML-N’s Senior Vice President Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in joint statement asked the police authorities to stay out of any political development.

They added that if the police and the administration became parties in the process of the no-confidence motion, it would be unconstitutional and they should remain ready for the consequences.

“Those violating the constitution and those abetting them in this act must be prepared for punishment,” they warned.

The opposition leaders said a police crackdown on members of the National Assembly would be considered an attack on parliament.

“If the action of Parliament Lodges is repeated at Sindh House, there will be serious consequences.”

The Islamabad police had recently conducted an operation inside Parliament Lodges and made 19 arrests, including those of JUI-F MNAs Salahuddin Ayubi and Maulana Jamal-ud-Din.

The opposition leaders maintained that Prime Minister Imran Khan could not bring 172 members to the lower house of parliament and trying to have them kidnapped using the police and the administration.

They claimed that resorting to these dirty tactics reflected that PM Imran had lost the confidence of the majority and the House.

“Those who attack the Constitution, democracy and parliament will be brought to justice,” the statement read.

The former premiers further said the person who used to say that “he would not leave anyone” was leaving himself, referring to PM Imran.

“Attacks on lawmakers, who were walking on the path of Constitution would be terrorism and lawlessness.”

The opposition leaders also took a swipe at the NA speaker. “The NA speaker’s ‘criminal silence’ on police raids and violation of the Constitution is proof that he is obeying his party leader instead of following the Constitution.”