People watch the speech of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on a television screen, at a cafe in Islamabad, Pakistan, April 8, 2022. (Reuters/Akhtar Soomro)
Pakistan’s parliament has resumed a session meant to vote on a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan and his allies have begun to debate their claim that the U.S. wanted to oust his government.
The session of the National Assembly or lower house of parliament follows a Supreme Court decision that ordered Khan to face the vote in parliament on Saturday. The opposition has said it has the backing of more than 172 members needed to oust Khan’s government and win the no-confidence vote in the 342-member house.
Lawmakers from both sides are currently delivering speeches before voting at 8 p.m. local time, Geo TV reported.
Prior to the vote, Speaker Asad Qaiser started a question hour to discuss the "international conspiracy” behind the no-confidence proceedings. It triggered an uproar among the opposition lawmakers with Shehbaz Sharif, who is tipped to replace Khan, saying the debate would be in contempt of the Supreme Court that ordered for voting to be held immediately.
"This parliament is going to make history today. The parliament in a constitutional way is going to defeat a selected prime minister,” Sharif said. "The Supreme Court’s decision is very clear.”
Several members of Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf party were absent from Saturday’s session. It was not immediately apparent if Khan was present for the proceedings.
His ally and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi argued that the premier had a right to have his views heard in the house.
"I accept that the constitution provides for the no confidence move,” Qureshi said. "The opposition has the right to present this no confidence motion but it is my duty to defend it.”
The session was briefly adjourned as both the government and opposition members argued about a debate preceding the vote.
In a televised speech Friday night, Khan said he would not accept a foreign-backed government, but asked his followers to protest peacefully starting Sunday evening, signaling that he would face the confidence vote in parliament. When the vote was initially scheduled a week ago, another Khan party member had used his powers as deputy speaker to cancel the vote citing foreign interference, forcing the Supreme Court to step in with a ruling.
The former cricket star spent the bulk of his nearly 50-minutes-long speech Friday on his allegations of a "foreign conspiracy.”
He has never revealed any documents to back his claims publicly. The U.S. has denied involvement in Khan’s political troubles.
