Attorney General of Pakistan Khalid Jawed Khan on Thursday told the Supreme Court that he cannot defend the National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri’s ruling blocking the vote of no-confidence against Prime Minister Imran Khan.
On April 3, the NA deputy speaker had blocked a no-confidence resolution against Prime Minister Imran Khan, terming it a “foreign conspiracy”. Later the prime minister dissolved the National Assembly and called for a fresh election.
On the same day, Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial took suo motu notice of the political crisis while the Opposition challenged the government’s “unconstitutional” act in the top court. Presenting his arguments at the final hearing of the case on Thursday, the attorney general said that he could not defend the deputy speaker’s ruling and added that no member of the assembly can be called a “traitor” without a court’s order. On the vote of no-confidence, the attorney general said that 172 lawmakers need to be present in the lower house when a motion is accepted.
