Country remains in political turmoil as it awaits ruling on PM’s move to dissolve parliament and call election
Pakistan remains without a government and engulfed in political turmoil after the supreme court delayed its verdict on whether the prime minister, Imran Khan, had violated the constitution by dissolving parliament rather than face a no-confidence vote.
Khan’s decision to call for parliament to be dissolved on Sunday, rather than allow a no-confidence vote on his premiership that was expected to oust him, had been justified by him on the basis that it was an alleged “foreign conspiracy” led by the west against his government.
Khan, a former playboy cricketer turned conservative Islamist politician, alleged that almost 200 members of the opposition had colluded with the US to topple his government – though Washington has denied involvement. In a speech after dissolving parliament, Khan said the conspiracy had been “thwarted” and Pakistan would instead have fresh general elections in the next 90 days.
But the opposition, who had tabled the no-confidence vote and claimed to have enough support to win, have alleged Khan’s move was in violation of Pakistan’s constitution and simply an attempt to retain power. They accused the prime minister of treason and submitted a petition to the supreme court on Sunday challenging the actions.
But despite the chief justice promising to issue a verdict on Monday, the hearing was adjourned in the afternoon without any evident reason. It will resume on Tuesday but it is unclear when there will be a ruling.
Marriyum Aurangzeb, an opposition spokesperson, said she expected the court to “give a ruling as per the constitutional provisions” but expressed concern at the “chequered history” of the court’s partiality and tendency to rule in favour of the military and establishment.
“Our wish is for the judgment to be given by the supreme court bench as soon as possible, because every minute and every second the judgment is not coming is an additional burden not only on the constitution but on the entire governance framework,” she said.
Whatever the court decides, Pakistan looks to be heading for fresh elections before the completion of the current term of the parliament and prime minister in 2023. Khan is pushing for immediate elections while the opposition wants the opportunity to weaken and unseat Khan via a lost no-confidence vote before holding an election.
The delayed verdict pushes Pakistan deeper into political instability. Khan nominated the former chief justice Gulzar Ahmed as caretaker prime minister until elections, but in the meantime Pakistan has no cabinet or government as both were dissolved and interims have not been decided.
In a packed and tense courtroom on Monday, Farooq Naek, the lawyer representing the opposition coalition, told the five-judge panel it was essential the supreme court “issue a verdict today”.
However, the chief justice, Ata Bandial, said it needed to fully hear both sides of the argument. “We can’t pass a decision in the air,” he added.
Babar Awan, the lawyer for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, told the judges: “Imran Khan has asked me to urge you that we are ready to go to election.” However, he was reprimanded by the chief justice, who replied: “The court will only review the speaker’s ruling, not political statements.”
Many believe that while Khan has lost the support of the powerful military establishment and even members of his own ruling coalition, the delay by the court indicates it is unlikely to go against the prime minister and will agree that fresh elections, rather than a no-confidence vote, should take place.
Nusrat Javed, a journalist and political analyst, said: “The court would have given the immediate relief if they have thought there has been violation of the constitution.”
He added: “I don’t expect any negative decision against Imran Khan’s decision on Sunday to dissolve the parliament.”
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