Pakistani Parliament’s Key Session Adjourned Without Proceedings
KARACHI, Pakistan – A crucial session of Pakistan’s lower house, the National Assembly, summoned to table a no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan has been adjourned until next week.
Speaker Asad Qaisar adjourned the session until March 28 after making prayers for some deceased former members of the House.
Opposition parties had filed the no-confidence motion earlier this month, claiming PM Khan had lost his parliamentary majority.
It is said that defection of dissident lawmakers and suggestions that coalition partners may join the opposition has left Khan short of the minimum – 172 – needed for a simple majority in the parliament.
However, allies of Khan’s party remain undecided whether to support or oppose the no-confidence motion.
The government has also filed a court petition to determine if dissident votes against the prime minster can be declared invalid.
Under the law, parliamentarians who defect could lose their seats if they choose to vote against their party.
Khan claims to have a “surprise” up his sleeve for the opposition, and has said he will emerge victorious. In a show of strength, his party is also holding a rally in the capital Islamabad on March 27.
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