Imran To Be PM Till New Leader Is Elected
Islamabad, April 2: Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid on Saturday said that even if the no-confidence motion against Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan succeeds, he will continue to hold office until a new leader is sworn in.
Speaking to the media here last night, Rashid referred to Article 94 of the Constitution which states: “The President may ask the Prime Minister to continue to hold office until his successor enters the office of Prime Minister”.
Rashid pointed out that the Constitution was silent on how long the process of electing a new leader of the lower house should take after a no-trust vote succeeds, Dawn newspaper reported on Saturday.
The opposition last month tabled a no-trust motion against Imran Khan in the National Assembly. The voting on the motion is expected to take place on Sunday. On Saturday, Rashid insisted that the no-confidence move was a “foreign conspiracy” and accused the opposition of being a part of it. “They should be charged for treason”.
He proposed three options to counter the motion. “First and foremost, the establishment should intervene and call for early elections immediately either after Ramazan or Haj”. The next option, he said, was that the three main parties — PML-N, PPP and JUI-F — which brought the motion should be banned and an inquiry be initiated against them. Rashid’s third option was advice to PTI members: “Resign from all the assemblies”. He reiterated his support to Imran Khan. “The opposition is stuck. Imran Khan has gained stardom from this fiasco. We (PTI government) have flaws too. But I can say for sure that people don’t even want to see their (opposition) faces”.
