No-confidence motion in Pakistan: How difficult are the days ahead for Imran Khan?

Posted on 25th Mar 2022 by rohit kumar

The political situation in Pakistan seems to be changing very rapidly. From the government to the opposition parties, everyone is busy in meetings at different levels.

 

Where on the one hand the Imran Khan government is trying to overcome the challenge of the no-confidence motion. On the other hand, the opposition parties are trying to oust the Imran Khan government from power.

 

Pakistan's opposition parties have already announced to bring a no-confidence motion against the government. Not only this, but the opposition parties are also announcing to hit the road in the coming days.

 

It is believed that a no-confidence motion can be introduced against the government in the National Assembly on Friday.

 

the no-confidence motion is a big problem

 

The opposition has a long way to go from introducing the resolution to getting it passed, as the opposition would need the support of at least 172 lawmakers to pass a no-confidence motion in the 342-member Pakistani parliament. At present, not all opposition parties in Pakistan have so many MPs.

 

At the same time, the Imran government has 155 MPs, and together with the allies, there are a total of 176 MPs.

 

In such a situation, the opposition parties are trying to join the constituents of the Imran government with them. At the same time, the government is also trying to keep its allies connected with it.

 

But after some MPs from the constituent parties made statements against the government, the government has come under fire.

 

The crisis in front of the government is that if these MPs, whose number is said to be at least 12, vote in support of the no-confidence motion, then the government may be in danger.

 

The government had approached the Supreme Court to solve this problem. But the government has been disappointed at the hands of the Supreme Court.

 

In such a situation, the question arises that now what are the options left with the Imran Khan government, and how difficult are the days to come?

 

What will Imran Khan do?

 

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has refused to resign before the no-confidence motion, saying that he will open his cards soon.

 

While the opposition parties are talking about reaching Islamabad on March 26, Imran Khan is also going to hold a big rally in Islamabad on March 27.

 

In such a situation, the question arises that how big a challenge can the coming days bring for the government.

 

BBC Urdu Service correspondent Shahzad Malik, who was present in Pakistan's Supreme Court on Thursday, says, "It is true that the coming days will not be easy for the government because all the opposition parties in Pakistan are united, and there are indications that The government can win a no-confidence motion."

 

Attempts to bring back rebel MPs

 

The Imran government had issued a show-cause notice to the MPs who made statements against them. Article 63 (A) of the Constitution of Pakistan was mentioned in this notice which deals with defection.

 

Also Read: Intended to shake Delhi: Tehreek-e-Taliban threatens to blast by sending e-mails, high-security alert in Delhi; Search operation in multiple markets

 

The government also went to the Supreme Court regarding this matter where it has sought clarification on 63 (A) whether these MPs can be debarred from contesting elections for life if they vote against the government.

 

This is being seen as a strategy by the government to put pressure on the rebel MPs. But the Imran Khan government has failed in this effort.

 

Shahzad says, "The Chief Justice of Pakistan has said in this case that how can we declare someone a criminal based on the crime which has not been committed."

 

Along with this, the court has said that if the MPs are not allowed to vote, then it will be an injustice to them. According to the court, MPs can also cast their votes and the speaker is bound to count their votes.

 

But Haroon Rashid, a senior journalist who tracks the political activities of Pakistan, believes that the government is currently trying to gain some time.

 

He says, "There has been a custom in the Parliament of Pakistan that when a member of Parliament dies, the Parliament is adjourned after praying for him when the proceedings of the Parliament resume. But opposition parties like the People's Party etc. are saying It is said that even if the session does not run on Friday, the next day or soon the Speaker should call the session of Parliament so that voting on the no-confidence motion can be done.

 

But if we look at the situation of the government, it seems that the government wants that it should get some time to defend itself. But the opposition has announced that the march of some people will increase for Islamabad on 26 March. In this way, the opposition parties also want to put pressure on the government that the session of Parliament should be called at the earliest.

 

Imran Khan is going to hold a huge rally in Islamabad on March 27, about which he is asking the people of Pakistan to come and tell with whom they stand. In such a situation, the period of political tussle continues.

 

And Imran Khan government wants that voting in this matter should be done after Ramzan but I do not think that now the opposition will give such a long time to the government. Their effort will be that if they come and start sitting in Islamabad from the 26th, then it is better if it gets settled at the earliest ie before Ramzan.

 

What is the attitude of the Pakistan Army?

 

It is believed that the Pakistani army interferes in whichever party is ruling in Pakistan and Pakistan's opposition parties have been calling Imran Khan 'Selected PM' for a long time.

 

But the question arises whether the distance has come in the relationship between Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and the army because till now there has not been a statement from the army on this issue giving relief to Imran Khan.

 

Haroon Rashid says, "Different from the history of Pakistan, this time the Pakistani army has taken a neutral stand in this matter. Whatever the rumors are flying, but till now the army has not said anything openly in this matter."

 

In such a situation, the experts believe that the coming time will not be easy for Imran Khan. To overcome the current crisis, he may have to make a lot of political effort and he will not want his government to fall under any circumstances.