Imran Khan repeats ‘history’ by seeking vote of confidence

Prime Minister Imran Khan is all set to voluntarily seek parliamentarians’ confidence in the national assembly today after Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf’s (PTI) candidate Abdul Hafeez Shaikh lost the Islamabad seat to the former premier Yousaf Raza Gilani in Senate Elections.

In the parliamentary history of Pakistan, Imran Khan will be the second prime minister who will voluntarily seek confidence vote.

It was the Pakistan Muslim League (N) Supremo Nawaz Sharif, who first sought a voluntary vote of confidence from the National Assembly when the Supreme Court reinstated him in 1993. Nawaz Sharif was dismissed by then President Ghulam Ishaq Khan in April 1993 on corruption charges.

At that time, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) boycotted the assembly session just as the present anti-government alliance announced boycott the session.

In retrospect, Muhammad Khan Junejo was the first prime minister who got a vote of confidence after General Zia-UL-Haq restored the parliamentary system in 1985.

Muhammad Khan Junejo got the vote on March 24 under the Revival of Constitution Order (RCO) and the Eighth Amendment to the 1973 Constitution.

As per the reforms introduced by General Zia-UL-Haq, the president nominates the prime minister, whoever he deems fit to lead the house and he (prime minister) has to get a vote of confidence from the National Assembly within 60 days of his nomination.

All the prime ministers, from 1985 to 2008, got a vote of confidence from the National Assembly under the amendment.

They were:

• The late Benazir Bhutto
Advertisement
• Nawaz Sharif
• the late Zafarullah Khan Jamali
• Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain
• Shaukat Aziz
• Yousaf Raza Gilani

However, the Peoples Party (PPP) government repealed the provision in the 18th Amendment to the Constitution in 2009.

According to the constitution of Pakistan, if the president feels that the prime minister has lost the confidence of the majority in the National Assembly, he convenes a meeting and asks the prime minister to take a vote of confidence.

Also Read

PM Imran Seeks Vote Of Confidence: Know The Complete Process

After losing the Islamabad seat in the senate elections, Prime Minister Imran...