No confidence motion: NA session summoned on March 25

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser has summoned the session of the lower house to deliberate on the opposition’s no-confidence resolution against Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday March 25.

The 41st session of the current National Assembly was summoned after the joint opposition made the requisition under Article 54 of the Constitution along with the submission of the no-confidence motion against the prime minister on March 8.

According to Article 54, once a session of the National Assembly has been requisitioned with signatures of at least 25 percent of the members on it, the speaker has a maximum of 14 days to summon a session.

The speaker had to call the lower house in session by March 22. However, the National Assembly approved a motion to allow the exclusive use of its chamber for the 48th session of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers on March 22-23.

The NA Secretariat had asked the Senate Secretariat to provide its chamber for the lower house’s session but it was also unavailable due to renovation work. The notification further said that the chairman CDA and Deputy Commissioner Islamabad were also approached for the provision of a suitable place outside the Parliament Building but it was not available.

“In view of the aforementioned facts and circumstances, it is evident that no suitable place would be available for holding the session of the National Assembly till 24th March,” the notification issued stated. “Therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred upon me under clause (3) of Article 54 of the Constitution … I herby summon the session of the National Assembly on the first available date i.e. 25th March.”

After the NA is in session, the rules of procedure dictate that the secretary will circulate a notice for a no-confidence resolution, which will be moved on the next working day. From the day the resolution is moved, it “shall not be voted upon before the expiry of three days, or later than seven days,” according to the rules.

The decision to summon the session by the assembly speaker came a day after the joint opposition lashed out at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for alleged attempts to delay the crucial session under the pretext of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) moot in Islamabad.

Opposition leader and PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had even threatened to disrupt the session by staging a sit-in in front of the assembly. He had warned that if the National Assembly speaker did not allow the tabling of the no-confidence motion on Monday, he would ask his party and the other opposition parties to stage a sit-in in front of the National Assembly.