File photo
Signed by over 100 lawmakers, resolution will be voted upon after seven days
The united opposition on Saturday submitted to the National Assembly Secretariat a no-trust motion against Speaker Asad Qaiser, seeking his ouster after earlier accusing him of acting in a biased manner.
Over 100 lawmakers from opposition parties, including the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz), the Pakistan Peoples Party, and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Fazl), have signed the no-confidence motion.
“Resolution for removal from office of the Speaker, Asad Qaiser, under paragraph (c) of clause (7) of Article 53 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, read with Rule 12 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business, 2007,” reads the submitted motion. “Also attached is a motion for leave to move the said resolution,” it continues.
“As required by sub-rules (1) and (2) of Rule 12, the notice should forthwith be circulated to all members of the National Assembly, and the motion for leave to move the resolution be entered in the name of the undersigned in the orders of the day for the first working day after the expiry of seven days from the date of receipt of this notice,” it adds.
Sharing the notification on Twitter, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said: “Surprise,” while tagging the accounts of both the speaker and Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The opposition has been considering the ouster of Qaiser for several months, with some having advised lawmakers to seek his ouster before they tackled the prime minister to prevent him from delaying or hampering the voting process. However, the senior leadership had decided to move the no-trust motion against Khan first and then seek the ouster of other PTI nominations, including the speaker, the deputy speaker and perhaps even the president.
A draft of the no-trust move against Qaiser had accused him of acting in a biased manner against the opposition and not fulfilling his role as the custodian of the house. It also accused him of violating the rules by not resigning from his party post, as is required of the speaker, and continuing to participate in party meetings under the chairmanship of Imran Khan.