Imran to continue as Pakistan’s PM until appointment of interim leader
In the backdrop of the Imran Khan government showcasing two Indians arrested this week near Bhawalpur, despite New Delhi having informed Islamabad about their inadvertent crossing over to Pakistan months ago, the proposals before the 1267 committee are ominous, officials say it is evident from the chain of events that Pakistan, with the help of China, wants to brand India as a terror factory to “achieve parity”.(VIA REUTERS). Sketched by the Pan Pacific Agency.
ISLAMABAD, Apr 3, 2022, Pakistan Today. Hours after the Cabinet Division denotified Imran Khan as prime minister, a notification issued by the president announced he will continue to serve in office until the appointment of a caretaker leader under Article 224-A(4) of the Constitution, Pakistan Today reported.
“Mr. Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi, shall continue as Prime Minister till the appointment of caretaker Prime Minister under Article 224 A (4) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” a tweet issued by the presidency read.
Article 224(A) deals with the procedure of the appointment of the caretaker prime minister in case the leader of the house and leader of the opposition in the National Assembly do not agree on the name of a caretaker prime minister.
The article reads: “The incumbent Prime Minister and the incumbent Chief Minister shall continue to hold office till the appointment of the caretaker Prime Minister and the caretaker Chief Minister, as the case may be.”
The Cabinet Division notification issued earlier read Khan had “ceased to hold the office of the prime minister of Pakistan with immediate effect”. However, President Dr Arif Alvi “may ask the Prime Minister to continue to hold office until his successor enters upon the office of Prime Minister” under Article 94 of the Constitution.
IMRAN CALLS SNAP ELECTIONS
The move comes a day after the prime minister called for the president to dissolve parliament and hold a fresh election, minutes after the National Assembly deputy speaker declined to hear the no-confidence motion into his rule.
In a brief address on television, Khan said there had been unacceptable interference in the nation’s democratic institutions, and an interim government should be formed to hold fresh elections.
“I have sent advice to the president to dissolve the assemblies […] We will go to the public and hold elections and let the nation decide,” he said.
“When the advice reaches the president, assemblies will be dissolved which will be followed by the process of setting up a caretaker government,” he added.
No prime minister of Pakistan has ever completed a full term, and Khan has been facing the biggest challenge to his rule since being elected in 2018, with opponents accusing him of economic mismanagement and bungling foreign policy.
On Sunday, parliament was due to debate a no-confidence motion on Khan, but the deputy speaker refused to accept it, causing uproar in the chamber.
“I rule out this no-confidence motion in accordance with the constitution,” said deputy speaker Qasim Suri as the session started.
Khan has accused the opposition of conspiring with “foreign powers” to remove him because he won’t take the West’s side on global issues against Russia and China.
Earlier this week, he accused the United States of meddling in Pakistan’s affairs. The media had reported that Khan had received a briefing letter from Islamabad’s ambassador to Washington recording a senior US official saying they felt relations would be better if Khan left office.
In Washington last week, State Department spokesman Ned Price told reporters there was “no truth” to the allegations of regime change.
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