KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali has said that some of the federal ministers just to create a constitutional crisis in the country were mixing up the definition of two different articles of the constitution, Article 95(4) and Article 94, to make a way out for the prime minister to continue even after losing the majority vote in the National Assembly.

“Under Article 95(4) of the constitution the prime minister shall cease to hold office if a no-confidence resolution is passed by majority of the total membership of the national assembly; therefore, the President cannot ask him (PM) to hold the office till the election of new prime minister,” he said.

While addressing a press conference here at CM House on Saturday, he said that under Article 94 of the constitution the President may ask the Prime Minister to hold office until his successor enters upon the office of the Prime Minister when the prime minister resigns.

The chief minister said that the constitution was very clear that the president could not ask the prime minister to continue after losing the vote of confidence in the national assembly.

Murad Ali Shah said that the prime minister and his team were bent upon creating a constitutional crisis in the country just for achieving their personal interest of clinging to power.

Shah said that a federal minister, indirectly accepting defeat in the vote of no-confidence, said that he would join the media to work as an anchor. He said that it sorry to see that the federal ministers who were making tall claims of creating a ‘forward bloc’ in the Sindh Assembly and imposing Governor’s Rule in the province are leaving miserably.

He lamented that a federal minister was inviting the security establishment to intervene. He said that a PTI minister was threading the MNAs of a ‘shame walk’ by crossing a crowd of over 100,000 people for casting vote. “They have also given calls to their workers to block roads and avenues to create a serious crisis in the country,” he said, adding they were playing with fire and making them liable to be charged with Article 6 of the constitution.

The CM recalled that the two former prime ministers, Yousuf Raza Gilani, and Nawaz Sharif, were disqualified by the courts and the assembly had elected their successors as per the constitution but the incumbent government was bent upon violating the constitution, and creating law and order in the country.

Shah said that since the prime minister has waved a diplomatic letter in his public meeting, now the diplomats of other countries were reluctant to talk to their Pakistani counterparts openly and candidly. “Imran Khan is trying to vitiate cordial relations of Pakistan with other countries,” he said and added it was an enmity with the country and “now he has become a security risk.”

To a question about Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid’s orders of arresting MNA Jam Karim, the chief minister said that the federal minister was committing a contempt of court. “Jam Karim has been granted bail till April 11, so how can he get him arrested,” he questioned.

Shah said that the Nazim Jokhio murder was an unfortunate incident, but the Sindh government supported the victim’s family in registering the case. “We arrested our MPA when the bereaved nominated him and then they nominated MNA Jam Karim but he was out of Pakistan.

To a question about the appointment of Fawad Chaudhry as Law Minister, the chief minister said that he has not seen that notification. “If he is appointed as new law minister, he would be the shortest serving law minister in the history of Pakistan,” he said.

To another question, the chief minister said that a working framework has been signed with Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leadership. He added that the talks between MQM and PPP were held in presence of their respective leaders. He added that the constitution of some committees with equal representation of both the parties has been agreed in the agreement. These committees would monitor the ongoing inquiry into fake domiciles and implementation of rural-urban job quota.

Shah said that it was up to the MQM leadership if they agree to join the provincial government; otherwise, they have not demanded any ministry.

To a question about Punjab chief minister, said the PML-N was the majority party in the Punjab Assembly but even then PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif consulted the joint opposition for nominating Hamza Shahbaz as a candidate for the chief minister slot.

The chief minister condemned the attack on Sindh House in strong words. “It was not an attack on a House, but it was an attack on the province of Sindh,” he said and lamented that the Islamabad police had badly failed to stop it. He urged IG Police Islamabad to deal with this case as strictly as they had dealt with the PTV attack case.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022