Political turmoil continues in Pakistan. Prime Minister Imran Khan’s chair is under threat. Some groups have warned that the democratic institution in the country faces a new threat. Let us tell you that the opposition political parties had demanded a no-confidence motion in Parliament this month to remove Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan. In response, government officials threatened violence and briefly detained two members of parliament. The political situation in Pakistan is giving rise to the possibilities of a dangerous confrontation.
Under the constitution of Pakistan, if a majority of the members of the National Assembly vote for a no-confidence motion, Imran Khan must resign as prime minister. The government has announced voting on March 28.
Earlier on March 10, police raided the apartments of MPs in Islamabad and detained two opposition MPs along with several other opposition activists. Police alleged that volunteers of opposition Jamiat-Ulema-e-Islam F (JUI-F) had entered the apartment without permission. All were released within hours.
Four days after the incident, federal minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan threatened to “destroy the opposition in a suicide attack”. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Shahbaz Gill said that photographs of traitors (MPs of the ruling Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party who voted against the government) will be displayed in cities so that people can recognize them.
Pakistan’s Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said supporters would visit Islamabad on the day of polling. He warned that anyone who wants to vote against Imran Khan will face protests inside and outside the Parliament House. In response, the opposition party Pakistan Democratic Alliance (PDM) has also called on its supporters to gather in Islamabad. After this, a stage has been prepared for violent confrontation.
According to Human Rights Watch (HRW), the government has a responsibility to uphold the Constitution and allow voting on a no-confidence motion without threats or violence. “Both the government and the opposition must send a strong message to their supporters not to influence the democratic process or influence the vote through intimidation or other criminal acts,” the rights watchdog said.
Pakistan’s opposition leaders have threatened to sit in the lower house and disrupt the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) summit if the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan is not tabled in the National Assembly. Let us tell you that Monday is the last date for presenting the resolution. If the opposition staged a sit-in, the summit of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation to be held on the same day would be hampered.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) president Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Saturday that he was receiving reports of the NA president’s intention to go against the Constitution, law and rules of the House with regard to the no-confidence motion. Don has given this information.