ISLAMABAD: Pakistani opposition parties on Thursday hailed the Supreme Court of Pakistan for issuing a “historic verdict” that saw the apex court reinstitute the country’s parliament and declare “unconstitutional” the deputy speaker’s decision to block voting on a no-confidence resolution last week.
Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Qasim Suri, had disallowed a no-trust vote that would have likely seen Khan booted from office. Suri cited Article 5 of the constitution in his ruling, which deals with loyalty to the state, to make his case, saying the motion was unconstitutional because it was part of a “foreign conspiracy.
The president, acting on Khan’s advice, subsequently dissolved the National Assembly and wrote to the country’s election commission to decide dates for fresh elections.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled in a unanimous decision that the deputy speaker’s ruling was “contrary to the Constitution and the law and of no legal effect.”
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Shehbaz Sharif, described the verdict as a “victory for justice.”
“We thank the Supreme Court of Pakistan for saving the future of Pakistan, the constitution, the sovereignty of the parliament and for burying the doctrine of necessity,” he told reporters. “It is a victory for justice, a victory for the constitution and a victory for 220 million Pakistanis.”
The apex court in its Thursday ruling also ordered National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser to summon a session on Saturday, April 9, at 10 am, to allow voting on the no-confidence motion.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said Pakistan would now move toward “the restoration of democracy and media”.”
“Together, we [joint opposition] will introduce legal reforms that will ensure transparent elections,” he said.
Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, leader of the government’s former coalition partner, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), also welcomed the court’s verdict.
“I hope the incoming government will ensure that people across Pakistan, who speak different languages and live in areas spread across the country,” he said, “are considered loyal [to the state].”