Don’t deviate from PM’s directives on no-trust vote, senior minister warns Asad Qasier

• Sources say war of words between NA speaker and minister occurred at Presidential Chamber.
• Minister asks NA speaker to "follow Imran Khan's line".
• NA speaker says he will follow Constitution. 

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser and a senior minister of the ruling PTI got involved in a war of words over the vote on the no-confidence motion, sources told Geo News on Saturday.

Sources said that the war of words between the speaker and the minister occurred at the Presidential Chamber of the Parliament, reportedly during today's NA session.

“You should follow Imran Khan's line, not your own line,” sources quoted the minister telling the speaker.

In response, the sources said, the NA speaker told the minister that he is following the line of the Constitution of Pakistan.

“I joined the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf for the protection of the Constitution,” Speaker Qaiser was quoted as saying by the sources.

Despite the PTI government’s hectic efforts to avoid voting on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, the crucial session of the National Assembly to decide his fate began on Saturday at 10:30 am.

The session is currently underway where the government members are holding lengthy speeches to delay the voting on the no-trust voting.

Supreme Court's order

The NA session was summoned after the Supreme Court on Thursday ordered the government to hold voting on the motion on Saturday at all costs according to the agenda issued for April 3 session when the deputy speaker rejected the motion through a ruling declaring it "unconstitutional" and a "foreign conspiracy".

The top court’s directives came after Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial took suo motu notice of Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri’s ruling and the subsequent dissolution of the assembly, declaring all the decisions unconstitutional.

As per the order of the Supreme Court voting is to be held at all costs today and in case the PM is voted out, the election of a new Leader of the House will be held during the same session.