In the wake of the political crisis, former opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said Prime Minister Imran Khan imposed a “civilian martial law” in the country by advising the president to dissolve the National Assembly and apparently prompting the House speaker to reject the no-confidence motion.

Shehbaz, while addressing a press conference along with other political parties leaders’ in Islamabad, termed PM Imran's Sunday decision “unconstitutional”.

Shehbaz, who is also the PML-N president, shared the details of former Pakistan’s ambassador to the US Asad Majeed. He announced that the opposition parties would take to the streets against such a move.

Moreover, Shehbaz has decided not to respond to Prime Minister Imran’s letter pertaining to the setting up of an interim government.

Threat letter

Talking about the apparent foreign conspiracy, Shehbaz said that former Pakistan Ambassador to the US Asad Majeed Khan had been in touch with the US government even after receiving the ‘threat letter’, which according to PM Imran is a piece of evidence for “foreign conspiracy” hatched to topple his government.

The PML-N president said that Asad had made a tweet a thank you note for the US government even after a meeting on March 16. Shehbaz questioned the timing of the meeting if a meeting between the US official and the former envoy took place on March 7 and if something about a regime change was conveyed that day.

“These are very conflicting things and will haunt the nation for a very long time.” Shehbaz reiterated that if a threat letter was received on March 7, why wasn’t Article 5 brought up in the March 24 NA session.

NA proceedings

Shehbaz also alleged that Sunday’s NA session was a “planned conspiracy”.

“On March 24, the speaker had granted leave to the no-confidence motion. If there was an objection on it under Article 5, why was the leave granted?”

The PML-N leader was of the view that voting on the resolution had to take place Sunday but “Imran Khan’s dishonesty and ill-will came in between and he used the deputy speaker as his accomplice in the crime”.

Full-court demand

Moreover, Pakistan Peoples Party Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardari demanded of the Supreme Court to form a full-court bench to hear the suo motu case on the prevailing political crisis in order to stop Prime Minister Imran Khan’s alleged coup.

“We request them [Supreme Court] to address this coup, Constitutional crisis and form a full-court bench – including all judges. No confidence vote should be completed,” he said and demanded that the no-confidence vote should be completed.

Bilawal lamented that such a decision would set a wrong precedent. “If the National Assembly deputy speaker calls us traitor, they could not pass the International Monetary Programme and they also could not elect the new premier.”

The PPP chairperson added that the premier has no idea about the political developments and the public has a responsibility to safeguard the Constitution.

“PPP workers are happy that the PTI-led government has ended, they are happy that our three years of efforts have been successful. But, parties like us will never be happy for any unconstitutional act,” Bilawal said, adding that the premier was “at our aim”.

“The problem is that we want to safeguard the Constitution and judiciary. Only because of his [PM] ego, the situation had reached such a point. Before the vote, he could have resigned and it would have been constitutional,” he added.

The PPP chairperson said the people should decide “whether the PM ego is important or the judiciary, Supreme Court, Constitution or the National Assembly”. He expressed hope that the judiciary would provide justice despite past experiences in cases pertaining to the martyrdom of former premier Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, the assassination of Benazir Bhutto and former president General (retd) Pervez Musharraf.

Bilawal termed the dismissal of the no-confidence move “suicide for Imran Khan” and his party.