Pak govt files review petition against SC order, no clarity on vote

The Pakistan government has filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking a review of the April 7 decision. The SC on Thursday unanimously rejected the bypassing of the no-confidence motion in the National Assembly on Sunday against Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government. Meanwhile,  The Pakistan assembly convened at 10.30 am (local time) on Saturday with the vote listed as the fourth item on the agenda. In initial exchanges between Khan's ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and the opposition, including Shabhaz Sharif and Shah Mahmood Qureshi, saw speaker Asad Qaiser urged to uphold the Supreme Court's order and carry out the no-confidence vote in accordance with parliamentary laws. Earlier Qaiser had declared there should instead be a discussion on the 'international conspiracy' issue. The assembly was adjourned till 12:30 pm local time (1 pm IST) but failed to restart on time, raising questions over whether the no-trust vote will be carried out in line with the top court's order. The Assembly session has finally convened. Pakistan-based Geo News channel is reported that Pakistan Speaker Asad Qaiser has told opposition leaders that he won't allow trust vote. However, there is no official word on the development. Pakistan lawmakers clashed angrily in the national assembly on Saturday with the opposition accusing ruling party members of wasting time ahead of a no-confidence vote that will likely see Prime Minister Imran Khan booted from office.