ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior vice-president and former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Tuesday said the government was not convening session of the National Assembly due to the fear of the vote of no-confidence motion to be moved by the opposition against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Talking to reporters, outside the Accountability Court, he said that the government could not convene the National Assembly as they know, the day they will convene the session, the opposition will bring the vote of no-confidence motion against the prime minister.

“It also has a solution in the Constitution, which will be used”, he said, adding that the government which had come through an “unconstitutional” manner would be send home through a constitutional process.

Abbasi termed the announcement of the prime minister regarding a Rs 10 per litre reduction in petrol and diesel prices and also Rs 5 per unit in the electricity tariff as another “U-turn”.

He said that that the prime minister used to say few days ago that the oil prices increased in the country due to increase in its prices at the international level and then the government jacked up the price of petrol by Rs 12 per litre. But the prime minister did not tell the nation that the government has increased the oil prices as per the promises made with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), he said.

The PML-N leader said that the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has recommended an increase of around Rs 6 per unit, while the government has reduced it by Rs 5 per unit, due to which, the people of this country will have to pay Rs 60 billion to Rs 80 billion in the future on a monthly basis.

“If you have wanted to decrease inflation in the country then you need to reduce the prices of flour, sugar, and ghee, which have increased in your tenure”, he said. To a question, he said that the game is now out of Imran Khan’s hands. The government was standing on crutches but now crutches could not bear the burden of the masses.

Responding to a question about the exact date of bringing the vote of no-confidence motion, he said the motion is not publicised and everyone will know about it when it is tabled.

To another question, he said that the PML-Q and other allied parties of the government will decide whether they want to support the government or go with the people.

Earlier, he and the other accused appeared before the Accountability Court-II judge, Muhammad Azam Khan, in the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) case.

The court allowed Abbasi to leave the court after marking his attendance and took a short break due to unavailability of the defence counsel.

The court took an interval, so allow the counsel to argue the case.

Later, accused Abdul Khaqan Abbasi’s counsel Uzair cross-examined the witness, Naseer Shabir.

After completion of cross-examination of the witness, the court adjourned the case till March 8.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022