Pakistan is going through intense political turmoil. Amidst the political crisis, the current Pakistani PM, Imran Khan, has requested the top court to stop an opponent’s attempt to remove him.
As a result, Pakistani’s apex court has come into action. And it has decided to resume deliberations on Tuesday on the subject of the legality of Prime Minister, Imran Khan’s attempt to stop the opposition from ousting him.
Former cricket star Imran Khan lost his parliamentary majority last week, and he was set to lose a no-confidence motion from the opposition that had been scheduled for Sunday.
The Deputy Speaker of Parliament, a member of Khan’s party, struck down the motion on grounds that it was part of a foreign conspiracy and unconstitutional. Khan then dissolved parliament.
The standoff has plunged the nation of 220 million people, which has had a military-controlled government since independence in 1947, into a full-blown constitutional crisis.
In its efforts, the opposition has appealed against Khan’s decision legally in the Supreme Court on Monday.
The court convened again at noon (0700 GMT) on Tuesday, with representatives from Khan’s party and the opposition among those in attendance. The panel of five judges has not announced a timetable for issuing a decision.
The court may order that Parliament be re-constituted, demand a new election, or bar Khan from running again if he is found to have acted illegally. The court may also choose not to get involved in parliamentary politics.
The lengthy legal procedures that would result from this scenario would leave a power vacuum with political and economic ramifications for issues like negotiations with the International Monetary Fund to obtain financial assistance.