Pakistan PM says accepts court’s decision to reinstate parliament, calls protest on Sunday

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said he was “disappointed” but accepted the Supreme Court’s decision to reinstate the country’s parliament, after he dissolved it in an apparent move to dodge a crucial no-confidence vote against him earlier this week.
Opposition parties brought a no-trust motion against Khan in parliament on March 8, blaming him for the economic meltdown and foreign policy failures and bad governance.
Khan, who has lost parliamentary majority after defections by party lawmakers and coalition partners, was due to face the no-trust vote on Sunday. But National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri disallowed the vote, saying it was motivated by a “foreign conspiracy” and hence “unconstitutional.”
The president then dissolved parliament on Khan’s advice, triggering a political and constitutional upheaval in the South Asian country. However, the Supreme Court on Thursday declared the deputy speaker’s ruling void and reinstated parliament, allowing the no-trust vote tomorrow, on Saturday.
“The Supreme Court verdict that came, I was disappointed,” PM Khan said in his address with the nation, televised Friday night.
“But let me clarify that I respect Supreme Court and Pakistan’s judiciary... and whatever is the judiciary’s decision we accept it.”
Last month, Khan spoke of a purported letter that contained “threats” to his government from a foreign country. The Pakistani premier later named the country to be the United States (US), saying Washington was angered by his pursuit of an independent foreign policy for Pakistan and wanted to out of power.
Pakistani officials have said the letter was a cable written by a former Pakistani ambassador to the US, who conveyed threats by a “senior foreign official.” Khan says the move was part of a conspiracy for a “regime change” in Pakistan. Both Washington and the Pakistani opposition have denied the allegation.
The prime minister said on Friday he wanted the top court to at least see the cable before ruling against the government’s moves.
“A country topples your government through a conspiracy from abroad,” he said. “The Supreme Court should at least have seen the letter... whether we are speaking truth or not.”
PM Khan further vowed to mobilize the masses after the vote of no-confidence and urged his supporters to take to streets after the Isha prayers on Sunday.
“I repeat you are never to engage in vandalism or confrontation,” he told his supporters. “You are to safeguard your future, your democracy and your sovereignty. This is your duty.”
He said history never forgave anyone and it recorded whatever role people played.
“Which Supreme Court verdicts are good and which are harmful for this country, [if] you see history all this comes to the fore,” the premier said.
“A conscious nation always stands up for its rights. You are not to accept this slavery and stand up like a free nation.”
PM Khan said he would struggle alongside the masses and not accept any kind of “imported government” that was imposed on Pakistan.
In a separate televised interview Friday afternoon, Khan told his supporters they would now have to guard the sovereignty of the South Asian country and stand up to the alleged “regime change” attempts by foreign powers.
“As long as the nation won’t side with what is good...this attempt for a regime change in the country from abroad. Now the nation has to guard it,” Khan said in an interview televised on the state-run Pakistan Television Friday.
“This is not about Imran Khan now. If the nation will not defend its freedom, sovereignty and self-respect, then who will?”
The lower house of parliament has been convened for a session on Saturday at 10:30am, the speaker’s office said in an order paper. The vote, brought by the opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif, is the fourth point on the agenda.
The opposition requires 172 votes in the 342-member National Assembly. If Khan loses the no-confidence vote, the opposition will put forward a candidate for prime minister.
Shehbaz Sharif, the younger brother of three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, said after the court ruling that the opposition had nominated him to take over should Khan be ousted.

Pakistan PM says accepts court’s decision to reinstate parliament, calls protest on Sunday