Pak SC strikes down deputy speaker's decision; restores assembly, orders vote on no-trust motion
Islamabad, Apr 7: In a body blow to Imran Khan, Pakistan's Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously struck down a controversial ruling by the deputy speaker on the rejection of a no-confidence motion against him and ordered restoration of the National Assembly, saying the prime minister's move to dissolve Parliament and call early elections was "unconstitutional"
In a landmark verdict, a five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial ruled that the deputy speaker's ruling was "contrary to the Constitution and the law and of no legal effect, and the same are hereby set aside."
"The deputy speaker gave a ruling on April 3. Leave was granted on the no-confidence motion on March 28. The ruling of the speaker is declared unconstitutional," Justice Bandial said.
The court declared the advice by Prime Minister Khan to President Arif Alvi to dissolve the national assembly as unconstitutional."
The bench comprising Justices Ijazul Ahsan, Mohammad Ali Mazhar Miankhel, Munib Akhtar and Jamal Khan Mandokhel also restored Prime Minister Khan, Federal Ministers, Ministers of State, Advisers, etc to their respective offices as on April 3.
The court ordered the speaker of the lower house to call the session of the national assembly on April 9 at 10 am (local time) to organise a no-confidence vote. It ordered the election of the new prime minister if the no-confidence motion succeeded.
The opposition parties need 172 members in the 342-member house to orchestrate the downfall of Prime Minister Khan and already they showed the support of more than the needed strength.
Ahead of the ruling, security in and around the apex court was beefed up. Riot police was deployed outside the court building.
Deputy Speaker Suri, who is associated with Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, on April 3 dismissed the no-confidence motion against the premier claiming that it was linked with a "foreign conspiracy" to topple the government and hence was not maintainable. Minutes later, President Alvi dissolved the National Assembly on the advice of Prime Minister Khan who had effectively lost the majority.
The court, which had taken suo motu action hours after Suri's move, had reserved the judgment at the conclusion of the case in the afternoon after five-day consecutive hearing.
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shehbaz Sharif said the court had "definitely fulfilled the people's expectations".
"The court has strengthened its prestige and independence through this verdict. The court also strengthened the parliament and its honour," he said.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said the Supreme Court's verdict was a "victory for democracy and the Constitution".
"Pakistan's institutions and its Constitution have been safeguarded. God willing, the process of no confidence will now be completed and we will conduct electoral reforms and head towards clean and transparent elections," he said.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman, chief of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), welcomed the court's decision, calling it a victory of justice and constitution. "Tomorrow will be observed as thank-giving day," he said.
Reacting to the verdict, Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry expressed his regret and disappointment, terming the verdict "unfortunate".
"This unfortunate decision has exacerbated the political crisis in Pakistan. Immediate elections could have brought stability to the country. Unfortunately, the importance of the people has been overlooked. Let's see how things go now," he tweeted.
Earlier, the chief justice during the hearing said that the April 3 ruling was erroneous. "The real question at hand is what happens next," he said.
He also asked PML-N counsel Makhdoom Ali Khan and the Attorney General Khaled Javed Khan for guidance on how to proceed. "We have to look at national interest," he said.
During the hearing, Chief Justice Bandial noted deputy speaker's ruling is, prima facie, a violation of Article 95.
Various lawyers appeared in the court to plead in the complex case. Naeem Bokhari represented deputy speaker Suri, Imtiaz Siddiqui appeared for Prime Minister Khan, Ali Zafar represented President Alvi and Attorney General Khaled Javed Khan represented the government.
Babar Awan appeared on behalf of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, Raza Rabbani for Pakistan Peoples Party and Makhdoom Ali Khan for Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.
Apart from leading lawyers representing various parties, the court also called at the rostrum Shehbaz Sharif and asked about his view on the way forward in the wake of uncertainty due to dissolution of assembly and announcement of fresh elections.
Shehbaz said how the opposition leaders can take part in the election after being labelled as "traitors". He left it to the court to decide but urged that rule of law should be adhered to and added that we cannot face even our families after being called as traitors .
He was referring to the ruling by the deputy speaker that the no-confidence motion was linked with a so-called "foreign conspiracy".
The court also heard PPP chairman Bilawal who asked the bench that the opposition would bring necessary reform in the electoral laws before going for elections.
During the hearing, the chief justice repeatedly reminded the lawyers to conclude their arguments at the earliest to let the bench issue an order.
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India & Israel elevate ties to special strategic partnership, vow to soon conclude free trade deal
Jerusalem (PTI): India and Israel on Thursday elevated their "time-tested" relationship to a special strategic partnership and agreed to soon firm up a "mutually beneficial" free trade deal even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed the Gaza peace initiative, asserting that humanity must never become a victim of conflict.
Following talks between Modi and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, the two sides inked a plethora of agreements to expand cooperation in areas of trade, agriculture, energy, cyberspace and digital payment.
India and Israel also vowed to expand their already close defence partnership by working towards joint development and joint production of military hardware under the framework of the transfer of technologies.
In his media statement, Modi said India's security interest is linked to peace and stability in the Middle East, adding that New Delhi fully supports the Gaza Peace Initiative.
"India's stance is clear: humanity must never become a victim of conflict. A path to peace has been created through the Gaza Peace Plan. India has fully supported these efforts," he said.
"In the future as well, we will continue dialogue and cooperation with all countries," he said.
PM Modi landed in Israel on Wednesday on a two-day visit. It is his second visit to Israel in nine years.
In his remarks, the prime minister said India and Israel have a united view that there is no place for terrorism in the world and both sides stand shoulder-to-shoulder in countering terrorism and its supporters.
"Our relationship is founded on the strong bedrock of deep trust, shared democratic values, and human sensitivities. Our bond has stood the test of every trial of time," he said.
"Today, we have taken the historic decision to elevate our time-tested partnership to the status of a 'Special Strategic Partnership'," he said.
The prime minister also announced the establishment of an India-Israel critical and emerging technologies partnership to impart a new momentum for cooperation in areas of artificial intelligence, quantum, and critical minerals. "I am pleased that an agreement has been reached for the use of UPI in Israel," he said.
The prime minister, referring to the threat of terrorism, said India and Israel will continue to confront the menace unitedly.
"India and Israel are completely clear that there is no place for terrorism in the world. In any form, in any expression, terrorism cannot be accepted," he said.
"We have stood shoulder-to-shoulder in opposing terrorism and its supporters, and we will continue to do so," he added.
India and Israel also discussed the implementation of the India-Middle East Europe Economic Corridor (IMEC) and cooperation under the framework of I2U2 (India-Israel-UAE-USA).
