The hearing in the Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday was adjourned till Wednesday, but only after Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial sought the record of the proceedings of the National Assembly on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Pakistan political crisis in 10 points:
1. Chief Justice Bandial said the top court wants to ascertain the constitutionality of the steps taken by Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri for the dismissal of the no-trust vote and the subsequent dissolution of the National Assembly.
2. The court said it wants to decide on the legitimacy of the Speaker’s action. “Our sole focus is on the ruling of the deputy speaker… it is our priority to decide on that particular issue,” Chief Justice Bandial was quoted as saying by the Express Tribune newspaper.
3. The Supreme Court had taken cognizance of the matter on Sunday after the National Assembly was dissolved. The matter is being hear by a five-judge bench, which includes Chief Justice Bandial, and Justices Ijazul Ahsan, Mohammad Ali Mazhar, Munib Akhtar and Jamal Khan Mandokhail.
4. On Monday, the court had said it would issue a “reasonable order”, noting that there were violations in the proceedings of the no-trust vote.
5. “In my opinion… only the speaker had the right to pass the ruling. The deputy speaker chairs the session on the non-availability of the speaker,” Justice Akhtar had said.
6. Amid the ongoing hearing in the top court, Imran Khan on Tuesday asked his party supporters to prepare for polls. “Workers, prepare for elections! This time I will bring forward sincere and sacrificial workers instead of self-interested people,” he said at an address.
7. Elections, according to Article 224 of Pakistan Constitution, are supposed to be held in three months. Till then, a caretaker Prime Minister would be appointed by the President.
8. Imran Khan and his party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have already proposed their name for a caretaker Prime Minister. Imran on Monday had nominated former Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed.
9. However, Pakistan’s Election Commission on Tuesday said it would not be able to conduct general elections within three months “due to various legal and procedural challenges”, according to Dawn newspaper.
10. According to the officials, general elections would need six months time due to fresh delimitation of constituencies, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the number of seats had been increased under the 26th Amendment, reported Dawn.
