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Journalism of Courage
Pakistan’s National Assembly is sitting on Monday (March 28), but it remains unclear if the Speaker will allow the opposition motion of no confidence against Prime Minister Imran Khan to be tabled.
The session, which began on Friday, was adjourned for two days after an obituary notice, which drew criticism of the Speaker Asad Qaiser from the opposition. Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid has said that even if the motion is tabled in Monday’s sitting, it may not be voted upon until April 4.
Procedures demand that after tabling, the motion should be voted upon no earlier than the expiry of three days, and no later than seven.
What is the Prime Minister trying to do?
Imran Khan’s strategy appears to be to buy time, either in the hope of hanging on through a last-minute deal with the Pakistan Army and ISI — only they can bring back the supporters who have deserted him over the last few weeks — or just to postpone the inevitable. Some in his government are urging him to call a snap election, a year ahead from when it is due in 2023.
Many PTI dissidents are from South Punjab, and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who is also a notable from the same region, has submitted a bill for the creation of a separate province of South Punjab, in the hope that this might bring them back to the party.
The creation of such a province, carved out of Pakistan’s Punjab province, has been a long-standing regional demand, but it has never been seriously discussed by the Punjabi dominated political and security elite, as it would undermine their own powerful and pre-eminent position.
Does he have the numbers in the House?
The PTI coalition has been bleeding supporters daily. The National Assembly has 342 members, and Imran’s ruling coalition had 179. On Sunday, that came down to 178 after the Jamhoori Watan Party withdrew from the alliance.
Imran and PTI managers have been trying to get the other three allies, the PML-Q, the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan, who have between them 17 MNAs, to declare their opposition to the no-confidence motion.
At least two of these parties are creations of the military over the years — BAP came into existence shortly before the 2018 election, the PML(Q) was hacked out of the PML(N) by Musharraf. The MQM has sided with the military most times.
These parties have yet to convey their decision to Imran Khan. But even if all three stay with him, he will still need to bring back between a dozen to two dozen members from within the PTI, who have rebelled against his leadership, and will likely vote against him.
Who is this “man in London” that Imran is accusing of acting against Pakistan?
On Sunday, the Pakistan Prime Minister held a huge rally in Islamabad, close to the National Assembly, as a show of strength against the opposition. Borrowing from a Quranic exhortation, he called the rally Amr bil Mar’uf (encourage the good). According to Dawn, a large number of people, supporters of Imran and his Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, attended the rally.
Like many embattled leaders in South Asia before him fighting to survive in office, Imran lashed out at a “foreign hand”, and at the opposition PML(N) leader Nawaz Sharif, alleging that “a man sitting in London” was working against the interests of Pakistan. He alleged that attempts were being made to influence the foreign policy of Pakistan against the nation’s interests.
“Attempts are being made through foreign money to change the government in Pakistan. Our people are being used. Mostly inadvertently, but some people are using money against us. We know from what places attempts are being made to pressure us. We have been threatened in writing but we will not compromise on national interest,” he said.
Imran said he was presenting “a case for Pakistan’s independence” and would share details of the “foreign conspiracy” very soon with the people. He claimed to have incontrovertible proof of this alleged conspiracy in the form of a letter.
“The nation wants to know who the man sitting in London is meeting with and whose directions the characters based in Pakistan are following? I am revealing the proof we have. I cannot talk more in detail because I have to protect the interest of my country. I cannot talk about anything that harms my country. I could have told you about it. I do not fear anyone but I care about Pakistan’s interest,” he said.
What are the Opposition doing outside parliament?
The Pakistan Muslim League (N), the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam (F) are scheduled to hold their own rally in Islamabad on Monday.
