President can’t ask PM to continue after losing no-trust vote: Sindh CM Murad Ali Shah

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has said some of the federal ministers just to create a constitutional crisis in the country are mixing up the definition of two different articles of the Constitution Article 95(4) and Article 94 to make a way out for the prime minister to continue even after losing the majority vote in the National Assembly.

“Under Article 95(4) of the Constitution, the prime minister shall cease to hold office if the no-confidence motion is passed by the majority of the total members of the National Assembly. Therefore, the president cannot ask him [PM] to hold office till the election of the new prime minister,” he said and added that under Article 94 of the Constitution, the president may ask the prime minister to hold office until his successor takes the office of the prime minister when the sitting prime minister resigns.

He said this while addressing a press conference here at the CM House on Saturday. He was flanked by Provincial Ministers Imtiaz Shaikh, Taimure Talpur and Advisor on Law Murtaza Wahab.

The chief minister said the Constitution is very clear that the president cannot ask the prime minister to continue after losing a vote of confidence in the National Assembly. “Yes, he [president] may ask the prime minister to continue till the election of his successor if the prime minister resigns,” he said and added that both are different cases and cannot be mixed up. He said the prime minister and his team are bent upon creating a constitutional crisis in the country just for achieving their personal interest of clinging to power.

He said a federal minister indirectly accepting defeat in the vote of no confidence said he would join the media to work as an anchor. “I am sorry to say that those [Shaikh Rashid and other PTI ministers] making tall claims of creating a forward bloc in the Sindh Assembly and imposing the Governor’s Rule in the province are leaving with their tails between their legs.” He lamented that a federal minister [Shaikh Rashid] is inviting the establishment to intervene. “I am surprised that they have gone berserk after witnessing the power slipping from their hands. This amounts to booking him under Article 6 of the Constitution,” he said.

Shah lamented that the PTI minister is frightening MNAs with a ‘shame walk’ by crossing a crowd of over 100,000 people for casting vote. “They have also given calls to their workers to block roads and avenues to create a serious crisis in the country,” he said and added that they are playing with fire and making themselves liable to be charged with Article 6 of the Constitution.

The CM recalled that two former prime ministers, Yusuf Raza Gillani and Nawaz Sharif, were disqualified by the court and the assembly had elected their successors as per the Constitution but the incumbent PM is bent upon violating the Constitution, creating a law and order situation in the country. He said since the prime minister had waved a diplomatic letter in his public meeting, the diplomats of other countries have been reluctant to talk to their Pakistani counterparts openly and candidly. “Imran Khan is trying to vitiate cordial relations of Pakistan with other countries,” he said and added it is an enmity with the country and “now he has become a security risk”.

Replying to a question about Interior Minister Shaikh Rashid’s orders for arresting MNA Jam Karim, the CM said the federal minister is committing contempt of court. “Jam Karim has been granted bail till April 11, so how can he get him arrested?” Shah said the Nazim Jokhio murder is an unfortunate incident, but the Sindh government supported the victim’s family for lodging a case. “We arrested our MPA when they [family] nominated him and then they nominated Jam Karim, but he was out of Pakistan,” he said and added he has returned after getting bail before arrest,” he said. The issue of Nazim Jokhio is being exploited by the PTI government just to politicize the case, otherwise a provincial minister in KP is also facing a murder case, but his case has never been discussed.

To a question about the appointment of Fawad Chaudhry as Law minister, the chief minister said he has not received his notification. “If he is appointed as the new Law minister, he would be the shortest-serving law minister in the history of Pakistan.” Replying to another question, he said a working framework has been signed with the Muttahida leadership. Talks between the MQM and the PPP were held in presence of their respective leadership. “I think this working relationship and understanding between the two parties would prove to be useful for the development of the province and the country. The constitution of some committees with equal representation from both the parties has been agreed in an agreement. These committees would monitor an ongoing inquiry into fake domiciles and implementation of the rural-urban job quota. It is up to the MQM leadership if they agree to join the provincial government; otherwise they have not demanded any ministries.

The CM, replying to a question, said Punjab CM Usman Buzdar has resigned and within a day, they have called the assembly session to elect the new leader of the house, but in the National Assembly, they are trying to delay voting on the no-confidence motion. He said the PMLN is the majority party in the Punjab Assembly, but even then PMLN President Shehbaz Sharif consulted the joint opposition for nominating Hamza Shehbaz as a candidate for the chief minister slot.

The CM condemned an attack on the Sindh House in strong words. “It was not an attack on a house, but in fact it was an attack on the province of Sindh,” he said and lamented that the Islamabad Police badly failed to stop it. He urged the Islamabad Police IG to deal with this case as promptly as they dealt with the PTV attack case.