NA speaker dismisses no-trust move, terming it against Article 5 of Constitution

ISLAMABAD, APR 3: National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri on Sunday dismissed the no-trust move against Prime Minister Imran Khan, terming it against Article 5 of the Constitution.

Suri chaired today's session after opposition parties, in a surprise move, filed a no-confidence motion against Speaker Asad Qaiser.

Opposition lawmakers earlier appeared confident of the success of the no-trust move as they made their way to Parliament House.

The opposition needs the support of at least 172 lawmakers from a total of 342 to oust the premier through the no-trust move.

As the situation stands now, opposition parties have managed to cross the magical figure of 172 and enjoy the support of 174 members in the NA, according to a list shared by PML-N's Marriyum Aurangzeb today.

The number does not include over a dozen dissidents of the ruling PTI, who have already publicly declared the withdrawal of their support to the prime minister.

No-confidence motion submitted against Qaiser

Prior to today's session of the National Assembly, the opposition also submitted a no-confidence motion against NA Speaker Asad Qaiser.

The resolution, addressed to the secretary of the National Assembly Secretariat, was submitted by Murtaza Javed Abbasi of the PML-N. The resolution carried the signatures of more than a hundred lawmakers.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who shared an image of the resolution on Twitter, tagged the official handles of PM Imran and Qaiser, with a simple "surprise".

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Courtesy Dawn News

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