No-trust voting likely on April 3 or 4, says Rashid

Minister says he advised PM Imran to hold early polls after presenting budget as opposition has upped his popularity

ISLAMABAD:

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid on Saturday said voting on the no-confidence motion to be tabled against Prime Minister Imran Khan in the National Assembly was likely to take place on April 3 or 4.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, the minister added that it would take about a week more for the voting to be held if the motion was presented in the lower house of parliament on March 28.

Rashid added that while members of the National Assembly would face no hindrances from the ruling party in attending the vote during the no-trust session, PPP MNA Jam Abdul Karim, booked for the murder of Nazim Jokhio, would be arrested upon his arrival to Pakistan from Dubai and placed in the custody of the Sindh police.

“According to law, Jam Abdul Karim should have appeared in court to request bail,” the minister said.

 “The director general of the FIA [Federal Investigation Agency] has been ordered to arrest Jam Abdul Karim. We will arrest him at the airport.”

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The minister further said the PPP MNA’s name would be soon added to the Exit Control List (ECL) and also be given to the Interpol.

A day earlier, a two-member bench of the Sindh High Court had granted 10-day protective bail to the lawmaker. The MNA, along with his brother MPA Jam Awais and others, has been booked for allegedly torturing Jokhio to death as he had tried to prevent his foreign guests from hunting the endangered houbara bustard.

Referring to the JUI-F rally, Rashid said the party’s appeal to set up a stage on Srinagar Highway by blocking the road had been rejected.

The minister added that the JUI-F had submitted a new appeal to register their rally and the party’s senators had assured the government that the procession would be held in accordance with the law.

“The PML-N has not yet submitted a formal appeal for a rally. The high courts have banned the closure of Srinagar Highway and other main highways and we will uphold this decision.”

Rashid said all parties were allowed to hold rallies in Islamabad but the government would not tolerate violence. “No one will be allowed to take the law into their own hands.”

He warned that the interior ministry could also summon the army under Article 245 of the Constitution after approval from the prime minister and the federal cabinet.

In response to a question, the minister said his comments about early elections were ‘solely his own’ and should not be taken as the PTI's stance. He added that he had advised PM Imran to move towards general elections after presenting the “poverty” budget.

“The ‘foolish’ opposition’s move of submitting a no-trust resolution against the prime minister has only increased his popularity to a new height.”

He claimed that he was asking for early elections after presenting a “good” budget because the “incompetent” opposition had allowed us to win again.