Pakistan .. The opposition protests the postponement of the motion of no-confidence against Imran Khan | News

Pakistan’s Parliament Speaker Asad Qaiser decided on Friday to delay a motion of no-confidence against Prime Minister Imran Khan, prompting accusations from the opposition that Khan is buying time to rally support after a series of defections among his party members.

The motion of no-confidence will be reintroduced on Monday, and will be debated over a week before the actual vote is taken.

The political crisis comes at a time when Pakistan is facing a recurring economic crisis, and Khan’s government is counting on the International Monetary Fund to issue the next tranche of a $6 billion rescue package to shore up dwindling foreign currency reserves.

Opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif – who belongs to the “Pakistan Muslim League” led by former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif – attacked the Speaker of the House of Representatives for taking the decision to postpone the impeachment until after the weekend, and said in a press conference today, Friday, “We strongly protest against that.”

The leader of the rival Pakistan People’s Party, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, also described the speaker of the House of Representatives as a “personal servant” to the prime minister.

The Speaker said in a live broadcast that he postponed the procedures, in accordance with a long-standing tradition, which stipulates abstaining from practicing parliamentary work on the first day of a session that took place shortly after the death of one of the representatives.

More than 20 lawmakers have defected from Khan in recent weeks, making him unable to reach the minimum seats that provide him with a simple majority in parliament, which is 172 seats, and political analysts expect his supporters to use the weekend to win back the support of some defectors.

Khan, a former captain of Pakistan’s national cricket team, took power in 2018. Political analysts say the country’s powerful army has helped Khan rise to power and army chiefs are now frustrated with his leadership style, but Khan denies he has received support from the military.