ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government will file a petition in Pakistan’s Supreme Court seeking a decision on whether defectors from his party can lose their seats before a no-confidence vote against him, his interior minister said on Friday.
The threat of political turmoil in the nuclear-armed nation is rising as the opposition seeks to oust Khan in a vote coming as soon as this month. Several of Khan’s lawmakers (24, according to some reports) withdrew their support for him on Thursday, creating further uncertainty over whether the former cricket star can stay in power, after a warning by a key aide That the Premier could lose his coalition partners.
It has been decided to seek the Supreme Court’s decision on whether defectors are eligible to vote after switching sides, Home Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed told a press conference. Ahmed said the decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Khan. He did not specify when the petition would be filed. Appealing to the dissidents, he said, “I want to ask all of you to come back… We will not do anything against you.”
Khan’s cabinet minister Asad Umar said show-cause notices were being issued to the dissidents.
Under Pakistan’s floor-crossing law, defecting lawmakers can lose their seats for voting against their party, but Khan’s government is trying to see if that also applies before casting a vote. Reuters