The Pakistan Supreme Court will resume hearing today on the dismissal of a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan and the dissolution of Parliament by the president on his advice—moves that were criticised by Khan's critics as unconstitutional.
Khan stunned the opposition parties on Sunday by recommending snap elections after a no-confidence motion against him was dismissed by the deputy speaker of the National Assembly. Khan then got Pakistan President Arif Alvi to dissolve the 342-member National Assembly before its term ended in August 2023. Critics claimed that Imran Khan unlawfully dissolved parliament after losing the support of a majority in parliament.
Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial said that all orders and actions initiated by the prime minister and the president regarding the dissolution of the National Assembly will be subject to the court's order.
On Monday and Tuesday, a larger bench of the apex court—comprising Chief Justice Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Mazhar Alam Khan Miankhel, Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail—took up the matter after Deputy Speaker Suri rejected the move to dislodge the prime minister by declaring the no-trust motion unmaintainable due to its link with a so-called foreign conspiracy.
During the arguments, Chief Justice Bandial said that even if the Speaker of the National Assembly cites Article 5 of the Constitution, the no-confidence motion cannot be rejected.
If Khan gets a favourable ruling, elections will take place within 90 days. If the court rules against the deputy speaker, Parliament will reconvene and hold the no-confidence vote against Khan.
