No-trust vote against deputy speaker: NA speaker to hold meeting with opposition today

Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser would hold an important meeting with opposition today (Friday) to take final decision about the motion of vote of no-confidence against Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri, it is learnt.

According to the sources, the speaker has also held two meetings on Wednesday and Thursday with the members of opposition parties, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and discussed the motion of vote of no-confidence against the deputy speaker.

They said that in Thursday meeting chaired by the Speaker, PML-N leaders Khawaja Asif, Ayaz Sadiq, Rana Tanver Ahmed and PPP members Raja Pervez Asharif, Shazia Mari while Asad Umar and Pervez Khattak from the ruling party PTI participated.

They said that treasury members Asad Umar and Pervez Khattak raised objection on the motion and asked the opposition members to tell the rules violated by the deputy speaker.

The sources said that the speaker asked the opposition to submit reply in writing on the objection raised in the motion.

They said that on the other hand, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser has also requested the opposition to withdraw the no-confidence motion against his deputy.

When contacted, sources said that National Assembly Secretariat is trying hard to save its Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri from no-confidence motion of the opposition and for this, they raised objection over the motion submitted by the opposition parties.

They said that legislation branch of the National Assembly opined that no confidence motion submitted against deputy speaker was not according to law as opposition failed to mention in their motion notice what kind of violation of rules of the National Assembly or Constitution had been made by the deputy speaker.

They said that due to this objection, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser will also prolong this matter and voting on this motion in current session of National Assembly is not possible, adding even notice period of seven days will be completed on Friday but session of National Assembly will be prorogued on the same day to avoid voting process.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019