Pakistan: SC adjourns hearing on no-trust motion, Prez wants snap poll dates

The chief justice asked Babar Awan, who appeared for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, about the minutes of the recent meeting of the National Security Council which had discussed a letter purportedly showing evidence of a foreign conspiracy to oust Khan’s led government.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Wednesday adjourned the hearing on the legality of rejection of the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan through a controversial ruling by the deputy speaker of the National Assembly. The matter will be heard again on Thursday, the court said while seeking minutes of the National Security Council meeting from the government.

Imran Khan stunned the Opposition by recommending snap elections as the no-confidence motion against him was dismissed in the National Assembly.(HT_PRINT)

On Sunday, National Assembly deputy speaker Qasim Khan Suri had said the no-confidence motion tabled by the Opposition was linked with a "foreign conspiracy" to topple Khan’s government and was not maintainable. Minutes later, President Arif Alvi dissolved the 342-member National Assembly before its term ended in August 2023 on Khan’s advice.

A five-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial, had been hearing the case since Sunday evening when it took suo motu notice of the developments in the National Assembly.

In another development, the President asked the election commission to propose dates for holding general elections. In a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan, Alvi said that he had to appoint a date, not later than 90 days from the date of dissolution of the National Assembly, for holding general elections.

Khan, the 69-year-old cricketing star-turned-politician, had stunned the Opposition on Sunday by recommending snap elections as the no-confidence motion against him was dismissed by the deputy speaker of the National Assembly.

At the court, the chief justice asked Babar Awan, who appeared for the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, about the minutes of the recent meeting of the National Security Council which had discussed a letter purportedly showing evidence of a foreign conspiracy to oust Khan’s led government. The court asked on what basis did the speaker issue, Dawn newspaper reported.

(With agency inputs)