President Alvi approved to file a reference in the Supreme Court for interpretation of Article 63-A of the constitution. President Dr. Arif Alvi gave approval under Article 186 of the constitution.
The reference comes amid the reports of defection of some of the members of the Parliament. The Federal cabinet also approved the draft of the presidential reference.
According to details, the contents of the reference include the article’s interpretation, clarity on the deseating of the dissident lawmakers or the lifetime disqualification, and whether deseating will still retain their sadiq and ameen [honest and righteous] status. It will also seek the top court’s opinion regarding the implementation of Article 62 (1) (f) along with Article 63 on the turncoats.
Read more: Deserting PTI MNAs to be tried under Article 63 A: Fawad
Earlier, the government decided to approach the SC for interpretation of Article 63(A) as several PTI lawmakers announced to vote on the no-trust motion, in a violation of the party policy. The PTI government took the decision during a consultative meeting of the PTI’s political committee held with PM Khan.
PTI govt takes action against rebellious MNAs
As the no-confidence motion looms near, Islamabad’s political heat has intensified. Last week, around 24 PTI MNAs moved to the Sindh House, clearly indicating their tilt towards the Opposition.
MNA Raja Riaz said the disgruntled MNAs will vote against PM Khan in “accordance with their conscience”. Furthermore, the PTI MNAs maintained that they moved to the Sindh House as they feared the government will take action against them similar to the March 10 raid by the police on the Parliament Lodges.
Meanwhile, PM Khan alleged the use of massive money for the purchase of conscience and loyalties of members of his party by the opposition for support to its no-confidence motion.
As a result, PTI is taking strict action against the “turn coats”. It is initiating legal proceedings against the MNAs under Article 63-A. To clarify, the article leads to disqualification of a lawmaker “on grounds of defection”.
“The reference under Article 63-A is giving the Supreme Court an opportunity to put an end to the ongoing drama of horse-trading, opportunism, and corruption in the country,” Fawad Chaudhry tweeted.
آرٹیکل 63-A کے تحت ریفرینس سپریم کورٹ کو یہ موقعہ دے رہا ہے کہ ملک میں جاری ہارس ٹریڈنگ، موقعہ پرستی اور کرپشن کے ڈرامے ہمیشہ کیلئے ختم ہو سکیں ، PTI سے منحرف ارکان نے اپنی جماعت نہیں ملک کی پیٹھ میں خنجر گھونپا انھیں سزا دینا اسی طرح اہم ہے جیسے ملک کے غداروں کو دی جاتی ہے
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) March 21, 2022
Furthermore, the party also served a show-cause notice to 14 PTI MNAs who went against PM Khan. The MNAs who received the notices include Raja Riaz, Dr. Muhammad Afzal Khan, Nawab Sher, Rana Muhammad Qasim Noon, Ahmed Hussain Deharr, Abdul Ghafar Wattoo and Noor Alam Khan.
The show-cause notice demands MNAs to submit an unconditional apology and rejoin the party ranks within seven days. Failing to do so will result in legal action against them. However, if the MNAs wish to leave the party, then they must resign.
Read more: Maryam Nawaz slams PM Khan for serving show-cause notice to PTI MNAs