Aftermath of Supreme Court's ruling on no-trust move

‘Govt may file a review appeal but if incidents of recent past are considered then possibility of a review may be low’

A five-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial on Thursday passed a unanimous verdict, declaring the rejection of a no-trust against Prime Minister Imran Khan by the National Assembly deputy speaker as "unconstitutional".

The court also ordered to convene a session on April 9 for a vote on the no-confidence motion against the premier, BBC Urdu reported.

On April 3, NA Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri had rejected the motion citing the "foreign conspiracy" under Article 5 of the Constitution.

Once the motion was rejected as unconstitutional and contrary to rules, President Arif Ali dissolved the National Assembly on the advice of the prime minister.

This was followed by a suo motu by the chief justice over the constitutional and legal crisis that ensued.

As far as legal advice is concerned, head of election and parliamentary watchdog PILDAT Ahmed Bilal Mehboob thinks that the government may file a review appeal.

Also read: SC reinstates National Assembly, orders voting on no-confidence motion against PM Imran

But if the incidents of the recent past are considered, then the possibility of a review may be low.

Will this situation affect the governance and political situation in the country? Advocate Salman Akram Raja opines that the very existence of the system would have been rendered invalid had the top court validated the developments.

"If the Speaker had the power to block the House from voting, it would have been a constitutional accident that would have shaken our constitutional system," he remarked.

He confirmed that the premier and his cabinet will be restored, followed by a no-trust move against the premier.

If the no-confidence motion remains unsuccessful, it will be up to the prime minister to either dissolve the assemblies and complete his term or leave the government.

Raja also states that the interim prime minister won't be a caretaker premier enjoying full powers but can be at the helm for the remainder of the tenure of the National Assembly.