‘Threatening’ statements of ministers: PML-N urges SC to take suo motu notice

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Wednesday urged the Supreme Court to take suo motu notice of the “threatening” statements of the government ministers to members National Assembly to stop them from voting on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan through “intimidation”.

Talking to reporters, PML-N secretary-general Ahsan Iqbal also urged the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to take notice of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s address to an election rally in Swat earlier in the day despite, an earlier notice of the ECP to the premier about his address in Lower Dir in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa ahead of the second phase of the local government elections in the province.

“The ECP should immediately suspend the membership of Imran Khan as member of the National Assembly for violating the election codes despite an earlier notice served on him,” he demanded, adding that the rule of law can only be ensured in Pakistan when the influential are brought under the law.

“If someone is prime minister and he is used to violate the laws, then every influential will make a joke of the Constitution and the law,” he added.

Referring to the statements of the government ministers in which they had stated that “those going to cast their votes in the National Assembly for the no-confidence motion would have to pass through the PTI’s planned Jalsa of “one million” people”, Iqbal urged the apex court to take suo moto notice of the open “intimidation”of the parliamentarians.

He alleged that the prime minister was attacking the institutions, adding that after refusing to implement the Supreme Court’s decision with regard to local bodies elections in the Punjab, the prime minister’s next target is the ECP.

“The Election Commission has been on his [the PM’s] target, because it is hearing the PTI foreign funding case and despite a previous notice, he once again addressed an election rally in Swat by violating the election codes,” he added.

He also urged the PEMRA to ban the “abusive” statements of Imran Khan from being run on the national media.

He asked the prime minister to show his majority in the National Assembly and bring 172 members to save his “sinking boat” instead of holding rallies.

To a question about the joint opposition meetings with the allied parties of the ruling PTI, he said that the PML-N president and leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif has suggested that after success of the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, a coalition government minus PTI should be made, so that to steer the country out of the prevailing challenges and the decisions be made through national consensus.

To another question about Pervaiz Elahi’s recent statement, he said that Elahi’s statement on Wednesday and his interview on Tuesday, both are based on truth, adding that the interview is based on truth because the PML-Q is still part of the government.

However, he added that all those who would support the government, would go against the “wishes” of the people.

To another question, he said that the opposition is ready to show majority in the House, adding that the session of the house should be called immediately. He said that the delay in calling the National Assembly session was also a “proof” that Imran Khan has lost the confidence of the majority in the House.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022