Imran Khan guilty of 'high treason', should be tried under Article 6: Nawaz

Anyone involved in any wrongdoing with the country and desecration of Constitution will be taken to task, warns ex-PM

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Sunday said that Prime Minister Imran Khan and all characters involved in the "conspiracy" against the nation are guilty of high treason and should be tried under Article 6 of the Constitution.

The former premier's remarks came after President Arif Alvi approved the advice of Prime Minister Imran Khan to dissolve the National Assembly after a summary was sent by the premier in the wake of a no-trust move against him.

"The President of Pakistan, Dr Arif Alvi, has approved the advice of the Prime Minister of Pakistan to dissolve the National Assembly under the Article 58 (1) read with Article 48(1) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan," according to the short statement issued by the President's Secretariat.

"Today, a man obsessed with power trampled the Constitution," Nawaz wrote on his official Twitter handle.

Nawaz, who is also the supreme leader of the Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N), said that Imran Khan and all characters involved in the "conspiracy" against the nation are guilty of high treason and should be tried under Article 6 of the Constitution.

He warned that anyone involved in any wrongdoing with the country and desecration of the Constitution will be taken to task.

اقتدار کی ہوس میں ڈوبے ھوۓ جنونی شخص نے آج آئین کو پاؤں تلے روندا۔ اپنی انا کو ملک و قوم پر مقدم رکھنے والے عمران خان اور اس سازش میں ملوث تمام سازشی کردار سنگین غداری کے مجرم ہیں جن پر آرٹیکل 6 کا اطلاق ہوتا ہے۔ پاکستان کے ساتھ زیادتی اور آئین کی بے حرمتی کا حساب لیا جائے گا۔

— Nawaz Sharif (@NawazSharifMNS) April 3, 2022

Read more: SC takes notice of ‘constitutional crisis’ spawned by assembly dissolution

National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri had earlier dismissed the no-confidence motion submitted by the joint opposition, terming it "unconstitutional" under Article 5.

In a talk with the media, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said the deputy speaker committed an 'unconstitutional act' by dismissing the no-trust motion against the premier.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif termed Imran Khan a traitor to the Constitution and democracy.

Shehbaz said that Article 6 is now applicable to “Imran Niazi and his followers for openly violating the Constitution”.

Also read: Opposition cries foul after dismissal of no-trust vote

He referred to the PM’s actions as anarchic and urged the chief justice of Pakistan to save the country from the crisis.

“It is hoped that the Supreme Court will ensure the supremacy of the Constitution and fulfil its duty to protect the country from this violation of the Constitution,” the leader added.