ISLAMABAD, 3 April 2022 (TON): The President of Pakistan, on the advise of Prime Minister and under Article 58 has dissoved the National Assembly on 3 April 2022. The Article provides, “The President shall dissolve the National Assembly if so advised by the Prime Minister; and the National Assembly shall, unless sooner dissolved, stand dissolved at the expiration of forty-eight hours after the Prime Minister has so advised”. A caretaker government will soon be setup and election date would be announced within 90 days specified time in the Constitution.
The combined opposition, led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) had submitted the no-confidence motion against Khan on 8 March 2022, contending that the prime minister has lost the trust of the majority of lawmakers.
Under the Article 58 explanation “reference to a Prime Minister against whom a notice of a resolution for a vote of no-confidence has been given in the National Assembly but has not been voted upon or against whom such a resolution has been passed or who is continuing in office after his resignation or after the dissolution of the National Assembly.
Statement of Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Ahmed Khan Naizi said, “I have sent advice to the president to dissolve the assemblies and call for fresh elections.” The deputy speaker has rejected the opposition’s no-trust motion against the government, which was at the behest of the foreign power. In a statement, he said, “Let the people decide who do they want in power. It’s not the authority of the foreign power to decide that”.
Meanwhile, the opposition has decided to approach Supreme Court of Pakistan. Chief Justice Umar Atta Bandyal directed court officials to receive the opposition’s petitions even on Sunday, a public holiday.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), a media and PR wing of the Pakistan Armed Forces Director General, Major General Iftikhar Babar, the army spokesman, said the institution “has nothing to do with whatever happened.”  The security situation in the country is tense but under control.