Imran Khan will address the nation shortly after the Pakistani parliament adjourns
Key takeaways:
- After resuming debate on a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan's government, the Pakistan Assembly was adjourned until April 3.
- The no-confidence motion was filed on March 28 by Shehbaz Sharif, the Leader of the Opposition in the Pakistan Assembly.
- No prime minister has ever served a full five-year term in Pakistan, and a no-confidence vote has removed no prime minister.
On Thursday, the Pakistan Assembly was adjourned until April 3, after it resumed debate on a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan's government. This comes as Prime Minister Imran Khan delivers his state of the nation address tonight.
Qasim Suri, the deputy speaker of the National Assembly, presided over the meeting. On the opposition benches, everyone present demanded that the no-confidence motion be voted on as soon as possible. Suri said that because no one wanted to ask any questions, the meeting was adjourned until Sunday, April 3 at 11 a.m., when voting could occur.
"Imran doesn't have anywhere to flee." He used Speaker today to flee, but for how long? There is no longer any safe passage. "There is only one honorable way forward: the Prime Minister should resign, and Shehbaz Sharif be given a vote of confidence," said Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, chairman of the Pakistan People's Party.
Shehbaz Sharif, the Leader of the Opposition in the Pakistan Assembly, had filed the no-confidence motion on March 28. According to the rules, voting is scheduled to take place between the third and seventh days.
According to ARY News, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will deliver his nation's address after chairing a national security council meeting.
The prime minister shared the letter with his ministers in a hastily called cabinet meeting the day before the address to the nation. Ministers from the Balochistan Awami Party and the MQM-P were not in attendance because they had already joined the opposition. Khan later shared the letter's contents with senior journalists in the country.
ON THURSDAY, the US denied that it is attempting to destabilize Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan's government, citing its displeasure with the Pakistani prime minister's visit to Russia. According to the Pakistani daily Dawn, the US State Department stated that none of its agencies or officials had written to Pakistan about its political situation.
The 69-year-old politician's government is now in the minority after seven members of his key ally Muttahida Qaumi Movement (Pakistan), defected to the opposition. The opposition has 177 members in the 342-member Assembly, compared to 172 for the majority.
No prime minister has ever served a full five-year term in Pakistan, and a no-confidence vote has ever removed no prime minister. After Benazir Bhutto and Shaukat Aziz, Imran Khan is the third prime minister to face a no-confidence vote.