No-trust vote: NA speaker vows to fulfil constitutional obligations

Amid the ongoing political turmoil in the country owing to looming no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser on Wednesday vowed to fulfil his "constitutional obligations".

"I as the custodian of the National Assembly of Pakistan will fulfil my constitutional obligations and will proceed in accordance with Article 95 of the Constitution & rule 37 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly, 2007," Qaiser wrote on his official Twitter handle.

The political temperature had reached to the boiling point after the opposition parties threatened that they would hold a sit-in in the NA if the speaker didn’t call the session on Monday, March 21, and initiated the proceeding on the no-confidence motion.

However, the speaker summoned the session of the National Assembly on March 25 using powers granted to him under Article 54(3) and Article 254.

Read more: Speaker summons no-trust NA session on March 25

In his order, the speaker said that due to renovations at the Parliament House owing to the OIC moot, no suitable place was available to hold the session before March 24. “After the receipt of requisition on March 8, the National Assembly Secretariat requested the Senate Secretariat to provide Chamber of the Senate for holding of National Assembly session. The Senate Secretariat informed that the Senate chamber is also not available (for) being under renovation.”

Qaiser further said the CDA chairman and Islamabad deputy commissioner were also approached for an alternate arrangement outside the Parliament House but that also remained an exercise in futility.

Also read: Experts say delaying no-trust vote may invoke Article 6

“Having no adequate option available whatsoever, for holding of the Session of the National Assembly before March 24… in the exercise of powers conferred upon me under Clause (3) of Article 54 of Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan read with Article 254… I hereby summon the session… on the first available date i.e. Friday… at the Parliament House, Islamabad,” the order issued by the NA speaker read.

Legal experts had said that not calling the requisitioned session of the National Assembly within the stipulated time or proroguing the session without initiating the proceedings of the no-confidence motion against PM Imran would have attracted Article 6 (high treason) of the Constitution.

The experts said that any deliberate delay in summoning the session would have led to a constitutional impasse amid the on-going political turmoil.