Pakistan Political Crisis: Supreme Court Adjourns Hearing For Dissolution Of National Assembly Till Tomorrow

Following dismissal of no-confidence motion, the leader of opposition, and PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto said that Imran Khan’s advice to the President was a violation of the constitution. 

A motorcyclist rides past a banner featuring an image of Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan (R) beside the parliament building in Islamabad | AFP

New Delhi: After much commotion in Pakistan’s political landscape on Sunday, the country’s Supreme Court adjourned the hearing regarding dissolution of National Assembly till tomorrow, April 4, reports news agency ANI via Pakistan’s Samaa TV. 

As voting for the no-confidence motion against the Imran Khan-led government was scheduled to take place on Sunday, National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri dismissed the motion saying that it contradicts Article 5 of the constitution. 

Supreme Court adjourns hearing on dissolution of National Assembly of Pakistan till tomorrow, April 4: Pakistan's Samaa TV https://t.co/N6ETTLnASC

— ANI (@ANI) April 3, 2022

Following the dismissal, Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed the media and said that he advised President Arif Alvi to dissolve the Assembly which the latter did. After the dissolution of the Assembly, the Supreme Court took suo motu cognizance of the matter and the hearing has now been adjourned till tomorrow. 

After the no-confidence motion was dismissed in the parliament, the leader of opposition, and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto said that Imran Khan’s advice to the President to dissolve the Assembly was a violation of the constitution. 

"Government has violated the Constitution by not allowing voting on the no-confidence motion. The United Opposition is not leaving Parliament. Our lawyers are on their way to the Supreme Court. We call on all institutions to protect, uphold, defend and implement the Constitution of Pakistan," said Bilawal.

"Everyone has seen what happened in Pakistan today. President, Speaker can easily see that the Opposition had a majority against Imran Khan in the no-confidence motion," he further said.

He lashed out at the Deputy Speaker saying that he had done an “unconstitutional thing at the last moment.” 

The Opposition parties in Pakistan had moved a no-confidence motion against Imran Khan on March 8 on grounds of corruption, inflation, and unemployment. Imran Khan received a blow when its key ally Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) announced that it will support PPP during the no-trust vote.