ISLAMABAD: The joint opposition warned National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser to take-up its no-confidence resolution against the prime minister on Monday, otherwise, they would not leave the floor of the House in protest.

“The Speaker National Assembly is participating in the meetings of the prime minister which is tantamount to violate the Constitution, law and rules of the Parliament which is disrespect of his office. If the speaker does not take-up our no-confidence motion till Monday, then we will continue to sit on the floor of the House and we will not leave it in protest until our right is not accepted”, the leaders of the opposition parties expressed these views, while addressing a news conference after holding their meeting on Saturday.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also threatened to block the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) conference, scheduled to take place on March 22-23 in Islamabad, if the no-confidence vote against the prime minister is delayed by the Speaker National Assembly.

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“We want Monday’s session to start with no-confidence motion but if it is not summoned by Monday then we will stage a sit-in the house and we will then see how you will be able to organise the OIC conference”, Bilawal said at a joint press conference.

He urged to the Speaker National Assembly not to become a “worker of the PTI”, asking him to think about the country and the OIC conference first.

“If the speaker doesn’t change his undemocratic behaviour, I will convince the entire opposition... we want the OIC moot to go smoothly but it appears that the government doesn’t want that to happen”, he added.

Bilawal said that the PTI government does not want the opposition to remain peaceful as it first attacked the Parliament Lodges and then attacked the Sindh House in the federal capital.

“Since Imran cannot play himself, he is not allowing others to play too. Imran Khan, after seeing his defeat, has started taking these undemocratic measures. I want to congratulate the masses as Imran Khan has lost the majority and his regime is over”, he said.

Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif claimed that the Speaker National Assembly would not be mentioned positively in the history books, if he continues to attend PTI meetings and favour the ruling party.

He said that the attack on Sindh House was in fact an attack on Pakistan.

“The members of the OIC are guests of the nation and they are respectable for us but we will not allow in the garb of conference violation of the constitution and the law”, he said.

He said that the PTI government allies have also turned their backs on the government.

“The government allies are saying that there is no horse-trading taking place and because of PTI government’s incompetence, dissident lawmakers are finding it difficult to face people in their constituencies”, he added.

Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is also the president of Pakistan Democratic Alliance (PDM), said that the prime minister is using “vulgar language” during his public gatherings.

“Our destination is near. We will take this illegitimate and incompetent government to its end,” he said.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022