Pakistan: Supreme Court seeks record of National Assembly proceedings, hearing adjourned till Wednesday

Pakistan's Supreme Court adjourns till Wednesday hearing of case over rejection of no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan. 

The Supreme Court on Tuesday sought the record of National Assembly proceedings conducted on the no-confidence motion filed against interim Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Lisa Curtis, a regional expert who served under the former American administrations, has said that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is trying to play a "US card" to build up his support base. "It's highly unlikely that any US official would get involved in Pakistan's internal politics. I think Imran Khan is trying to play the 'US card' to build up support from his base," The Express Tribune quoted Curtis as saying in an interview with Voice of America. Curtis went on to say that Khan's narrative could whip up anti-American sentiments in Pakistan. "Imran Khan is trying to drag the US into (internal politics) and get them (supporters) interested in backing him by raising this conspiracy theory that the US seeking regime change in Pakistan."

Opposition PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz alleged that a friend of Bushra Bibi received a huge sum of money for getting officers transferred and posted according to their choice, calling her the "mother of all scandals" amounting to 6 billion PKR. "I dare to name Farah, a friend of Bushra Bibi who is involved in receiving millions of rupees in transfers and postings and these are directly connected to Banigala (residence of Prime Minister Khan)," Maryam Nawaz said.

Farah Khan, a close friend of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khans wife Bushra Bibi, has left the country amid serious allegations of corruption levelled against her by the opposition, a media report said. According to sources, Farah Khan had left for Dubai on Sunday after the dissolution of the National Assembly in the wake of the no-trust move against Imran Khan, said the Dawn news report. Her husband had reportedly left the country already, the report added.

The Pakistani rupee on Tuesday plummeted to an all-time low against the US dollar, trading at 185.40 PKR in the interbank market during intraday trading, up 1.31 PKR from 184.09 on April 1. The local currency surpassed the 185 PKR-mark for the first time in the history of Pakistan, said Geo News. It has declined by nearly 7 PKR against the greenback in the last month. The Pakistani rupee has maintained its slump mainly because the US dollar is gaining strength against other major global currencies for the past few days.

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Tuesday resumed the hearing on the dismissal of a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan and the dissolution of Parliament by the President on the advice of the embattled premier, a day after adjourning the proceedings after promising to give a "reasonable order" in the high-profile case. The apex court had taken a suo motu cognizance of the current political situation in the country. President Arif Alvi had dissolved the National Assembly (NA) on the advice of Prime Minister Khan, minutes after Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri rejected a no-confidence motion against the premier, who had effectively lost the majority in the 342-member lower house of Parliament on Sunday.

Pakistan's powerful Army has contradicted Prime Minister Imran Khan's remarks accusing America of hatching a conspiracy to topple his government, saying there was no evidence of interference in the country's internal matters, according to a media report. Prime Minister Khan had chaired a meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) on March 27 to discuss the issue of a ôthreatening letterö to remove his government. A statement issued after the meeting expressed concern over the non-diplomatic language used in the cable, saying it was tantamount to interference in the internal matters of Pakistan. The NSC then decided to issue a demarche to the United States.

The United States supports peaceful upholding of constitutional and democratic principles in Pakistan, its official has said. “As you heard from me last week, we support the peaceful upholding of constitutional and democratic principles in Pakistan,” State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at his daily news conference. “It is the case around the world. We do not support one political party over another. We support the broader principles, the principles of rule of law, of equal justice under the law,” he said. Price reiterated that there is no truth in the allegations that the United States is interfering in the internal affairs of Pakistan and tried to topple the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan. “There is absolutely no truth to the allegations,” Price said in response to a question.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has said it is important to respect Pakistan's democratic process and abide by the constitution in resolving differences, according to a UN spokesperson. Asked about the constitutional crisis overshadowing Pakistan, Guterres's Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq said on Monday, "For now, we will simply underscore the utmost importance of respecting democratic processes and institutions and resolving differences in accordance with the Constitution of Pakistan."

Amid political turmoil in the country, Pakistan's National Security Advisor (NSA) Moeed Yusuf resigned from his position on Monday, Express Tribune reported. "Today, I leave extremely satisfied and content, most of all because I know that the NSA's office and the NSD are vibrant institutions with an exceptional team that will continue to make Pakistan proud," Moeed wrote on his official Twitter handle. He also thanked Prime Minister Imran Khan for trusting him with the immense responsibility and allowing him to do justice to his role as the NSA. "Few individuals are fortunate enough to get an opportunity to serve their country in a high office. Even fewer get to do so at my age," he said.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Monday that he is not "anti-American" and wants stronger ties with the US on the basis of mutual respect, Express Tribune reported. During an interactive question and answer session with the public, the premier stated that he does not have any mal-intent towards the US, but rather aims towards a mutual friendship with the superpower, free from interference in domestic affairs against public interest. "I am not against any country, I am not anti-American, but yes, we can be against certain policies. I want the two countries to have friendship, which means having mutual respect," Khan said.

Pakistan's Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial on Monday asked the petitioners to explain how, and convince the Supreme Court that the April 3 ruling by National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri on the no-confidence resolution against the prime minister was illegal. Justice Munib Akhtar observed that, under House rules, the deputy speaker went beyond his jurisdiction by issuing the ruling on the no-trust motion.

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has expressed its inability to conduct general elections within three months, citing various legal hitches and procedural challenges as the reason, Dawn reported. A senior official of the ECP told Dawn that the preparations for the general elections would require some six months.

 Taking part in a live programme "Aap Ka Wazir-e-Azam, Aap Kay Saath" (Your Minister, with you) from Islamabad on Monday, Imran Khan blasted the Opposition parties for looking towards the Supreme Court for relief instead of preparing for elections.

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Monday adjourned the hearing in the matter. On Sunday, members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party blocked a vote of no-confidence against Khan in the National Assembly and got President Arif Alvi to dissolve the lower house. The Supreme Court will resume hearing today.

Pakistan's former chief justice Gulzar Ahmed was nominated for the office of the caretaker prime minister by incumbent Imran Khan, amid ongoing political crisis in the country.