Watch: AGP guaranteed voting on no-confidence motion will happen

The much-awaited vote on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan was abruptly dismissed and deemed "unconstitutional" by the deputy speaker during the National Assembly session on Sunday.

"I, as the deputy speaker, give the ruling that the no-confidence motion against PM Imran Khan is being rejected," Suri said while adjourning the session for an indefinite period.

Following the dismissal of the session, President Dr Arif Alvi has dissolved the National Assembly on the proposal of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Angered by the "unconstitutional" move, the joined Opposition moved the Supreme Court of Pakistan and demanded the deputy speaker's decision be declared null and void.

The government seems to be confident about the decision to call the vote of no-confidence motion off and dissolve the assembly, maintaining that it is within the ambit of the Constitution. Former information and law minister Fawad Chaudhry has even said that the decision "cannot be challenged in any court of law."

On the other hand, the Attorney General of Pakistan Khalid Jawed Khan had guaranteed on March 23 that the vote of no-confidence would go ahead as planned.

Geo News anchorperson Hamid Mir, while talking to the AGP during his show, had asked what would happen if the speaker decided not to hold the vote of no-confidence.

In response, the AGP had said that he "did not see that happening," adding that the powers of the speakers were "not unlimited."

"As I had earlier said, the speaker will have to allow the voting to take place," the AGP said. "This is a requirement of the Constitution that the voting has to be conducted within seven days of the submission of the resolution."

He said that how the voting is carried out is the internal matter of the House, but it "cannot happen that the voting would be suspended for an indefinite time."

"I would also like to clarify that the proceedings taking place in the Supreme Court and those happening in the National Assembly are totally independent of each other", he said, adding that whatever opinion the SC will issue will definitely have an impact. 

"However, the proceedings of the vote of no-confidence will continue," he had said. "We [the government] have neither asked the SC for any stay orders nor will we appeal to the court to stop it."

The AGP had said that the House has its own sovereignty, but the opinion of the Supreme Court is binding. 

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— Thumbnail image: Screengrab via Geo News / File.