Govt can’t de-seat lawmakers ahead of voting on no-trust motion: Ahmed Bilal

• Speaker does not have the powers to de-seat lawmakers for casting vote in favour of the no-trust motion, says Ahmed Bilal Mehboob. 
  
• PTI has asked its lawmakers to not attend the National Assembly session.
  
• Legal experts have advised PM Imran to foil no-confidence motion on technical grounds.

ISLAMABAD: Legal expert Ahmed Bilal Mehboob Thursday said that neither the government nor the National Assembly (NA) speaker have the powers to de-seat or bar the lawmakers from casting votes in favour of the no-trust move.

He was responding to the reports that the PTI is planning to bar or disqualify some of its disgruntled lawmakers ahead of voting on the no-confidence motion to thwart the Opposition’s move.

Since the Opposition had submitted a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan in NA, a new debate has stirred in the country as the ruling party PTI announced to bar its lawmakers from attending the NA session on the day of voting.

Speaking on Geo News programme “Naya Pakistan”, the founding President of Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency (PILDAT) Ahmed Bilal said that according to the constitution, the government couldn’t de-seat its parliamentarians until the vote is cast.

"No one can be given punishment until the crime is done," he added.

Ahmed said that the ruling party’s lawmakers could cast vote in the NA and it would be considered acceptable, however, after which government can take action against its parliamentarians and the whole process to de-seat members of the lower house might take around two months.

While replying to a question that whether the NA Speaker can use such powers to stop ruling party members from casting votes, he said, “being a party representative, the speaker can use his influence to stop party members from casting votes. Otherwise, according to the rules and constitution, he has no authority of using such powers.”

PTI's strategy to counter no-trust motion

Amid heightened political activity from the Opposition seeking support for its no-trust motion, the ruling PTI has announced its strategy to counter the move by skipping the National Assembly session.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs, Dr Babar Awan, said in an interview with dawn.com on Wednesday that MNAs from the ruling coalition would not be present in the National Assembly on the day the Opposition's resolution for the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan would be taken up for voting.