During a meeting with Pakistani Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan this weekend, Chief of Army Staff Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa reportedly urged Khan to resign following the upcoming Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) conference in Islamabad to avoid being ousted by the no-trust motion on Friday. Khan, meanwhile, is likely to have pressed Bajwa to reconsider his decision to remain ‘neutral’ on the trust vote, and is said to be considering sacking the army chief.
Earlier this month, opposition parties officially submitted a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly (NA) Secretariat, accusing the PM of mismanaging the economy and of poor governance. The opposition, whose request requires Khan to gather the support of at least half of the NA, needs a simple majority of 172 to pass the motion. Sources within the opposition allege that they are confident of gaining the support of at least 202 MNAs because several members from the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) coalition have deflected.
According to the constitution, Speaker Asad Qaiser is obligated to call for a session of the NA within 14 days of receiving the no-confidence motion. The deadline expired on March 21; however, Qaiser postponed the vote because the OIC conference is scheduled to be held on March 23. In this respect, the trust vote was seen as a possible distraction that could have perhaps undermined Pakistan’s legitimacy and stability in front of allied nations.
Pakistan on the edge..
— Sidhant Sibal (@sidhant) March 18, 2022
22nd-23rd: OIC FMs meet
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27th: Ruling PTI's show of strength with a gathering in Islamabad
28th: No confidence motion against PM Khan in Parliament
However, the opposition has criticised Qaiser’s “undemocratic” decision to postpone the vote. Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari warned of a “sit-in” inside the NA if the motion is not tabled on Monday. He also threatened to protest against the OIC meeting and prevent the government from convening the conference altogether.
Khan, on the other hand, continues to insist that he will be victorious in the trust vote. On Sunday, the former cricketer warned the opposition that they would “lose this match badly.” He also reiterated his claim of them bribing MNAs with up to $1million in order to secure a simple majority of votes.
Want all records to be broken of public attendance to fight for the soul of Pakistan. We stand with what is right and condemn such shameless buying of politicians' souls by political mafias to protect their looted wealth.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) March 20, 2022
The PM convened a “million-man” rally in Islamabad on Saturday to showcase his popularity. Likewise, while addressing a rally in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday, he said that he was ready to forgive the dissidents if they “come back” to the party. Meanwhile, Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry called on the party’s dissidents to clarify how they plan to vote.
The government has also issued show-cause notices to 14 members of the PTI for publicly supporting the opposition in the upcoming no-trust motion, citing “large scale broadcast videos” suggesting that the members had left Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and joined the opposition parties. The breakaway members were asked to present themselves before the party’s disciplinary committee to justify why they shouldn’t be “de-seated” as members of the NA.
Khan is also unsure about the military’s support in the upcoming vote, as they have adopted a neutral position on the issue. Last Thursday, when Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General Major General Babar Iftikhar was questioned about the upcoming parliamentary vote, he clarified that the Army has “nothing to do with politics” and requested the media to refrain from such “unnecessary speculation.”
Following this, Khan addressed a public gathering, saying, “Humans act according to their conscience. And only animals remain neutral,” indirectly referring to the Army’s neutral stance on the upcoming trust vote.
Listen to Pak PM @ImranKhanPTI giving India compliments. 👇🏼 pic.twitter.com/yXEtp23fNc
— Snehesh Alex Philip (@sneheshphilip) March 20, 2022
Amid reports of a fallout between the all-powerful military and Khan, the Business Standard reported that Khan is considering sacking Bajwa and replacing him with a “senior non-controversial figure” who could provide him with an escape route.
In fact, during his address on Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Khan appeared to call for greater separation of powers between the government and the military, praising India for its “independent foreign policy” and contrasting this with Bajwa’s “neutrality” on the trust vote.