by Tahir Niaz in The Nation, Dec 9, 2020
ISLAMABAD – The Tuesday’s meeting of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) was expected to take big decisions. Though it remained short of the timeline about what the opposition parties will be exactly doing on the political front in the coming days, yet it announced that all the opposition lawmakers will submit their resignations to their respective party heads by December 31. PDM head Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced the decision while speaking to media after the meeting. It still remains interesting to know when these resignations will reach the table of the respective assemblies’ speakers.
The careful decision-making on part of the PDM leadership suggests that the opposition parties would use the option of resignations as a last resort. First, they want to test nerves of the government. They want to build pressure so as to force the government out of power. They know that after the resignations, they will have very limited options to achieve their objective.
Though the announcement has been made, yet resignations from the opposition parties are not expected in coming weeks. But a question still remains what if the opposition parties really tender resignations at the proper forums. It goes without saying that the option of resignations, if used, has all the potential to create rapid political chaos in the country. Yet, the opposition parties would be manoeuvring into a dead-end street, the ground realities suggest.
While on the other hand, Prime Minister Imran Khan is very clear in his position that the government will hold bye-elections on the vacant seats if PDM legislators resign from the assemblies. If the opposition parties still use the option and submit resignations, they will have to disturb the ‘172’ figure — the constitutionally required number for the prime minister to stay in office. The national assembly is a 342-member House and the opposition needs to make 172 members resign from the assembly so that the prime minister may not be able to enjoy confidence of majority of the total members of the House. The opposition parties will need a total of 172 resignations while it currently has 156 seats. Pakistan Muslim League-N has 84 seats, Pakistan People’s Party 55, Muttahida Majlis–e–Amal 16, and Awami National Party 1 seat making it a total of 156. There is one other option for the PDM; seek support of the political parties in alliance with the ruling PTI but it seems a rare possibility under the circumstances. Had they got the number above 172, a no-confidence motion against the prime minister would have been their first priority.
If PDM still decides to tender resignations, the possible scenario must be very disturbing for them. ECP is bound to announce bye-election on the vacant seats.
Article 224 of the Constitution talks about the time of election and by-election in the country.
It says “When, except by dissolution of the National Assembly or a Provincial Assembly, a seat in any such Assembly has become vacant not later than one hundred and twenty days before the term of that Assembly is due to expire, an election to fill the seat shall be held within sixty days from the occurrence of the vacancy.” The opposition parties would not be in a position to stop the ECP from holding the bye-election on vacant seats. And to the disappointment of the opposition parties, there would be no caretaker setup as has been the case when the House completes its term and the incumbent governments would preside over the bye-elections.
The resignations would be a political disaster for the opposition legislators as they would leave the field open for the candidates from the parties other than PDM in the bye-election. Giving walkover to the opponent in a political constituency means political demise.
And here lies another barrier for the opposition politicians; where would they stand if they decide to contest the bye-election under the same regime they had been fighting against for being the illegitimate one? Another interesting question is whether, after having resigned, the politicians from the opposition parties would be protesting against the incumbent government on streets or start their election campaign for the bye-elections.
https://nation.com.pk/09-Dec-2020/political-space-to-shrink-for-pdm-after-resignations
Political space to shrink for PDM after resignations
by Tahir Niaz in The Nation, Dec 9, 2020
ISLAMABAD – The Tuesday’s meeting of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) was expected to take big decisions. Though it remained short of the timeline about what the opposition parties will be exactly doing on the political front in the coming days, yet it announced that all the opposition lawmakers will submit their resignations to their respective party heads by December 31. PDM head Maulana Fazlur Rehman announced the decision while speaking to media after the meeting. It still remains interesting to know when these resignations will reach the table of the respective assemblies’ speakers.
The careful decision-making on part of the PDM leadership suggests that the opposition parties would use the option of resignations as a last resort. First, they want to test nerves of the government. They want to build pressure so as to force the government out of power. They know that after the resignations, they will have very limited options to achieve their objective.
Though the announcement has been made, yet resignations from the opposition parties are not expected in coming weeks. But a question still remains what if the opposition parties really tender resignations at the proper forums. It goes without saying that the option of resignations, if used, has all the potential to create rapid political chaos in the country. Yet, the opposition parties would be manoeuvring into a dead-end street, the ground realities suggest.
While on the other hand, Prime Minister Imran Khan is very clear in his position that the government will hold bye-elections on the vacant seats if PDM legislators resign from the assemblies. If the opposition parties still use the option and submit resignations, they will have to disturb the ‘172’ figure — the constitutionally required number for the prime minister to stay in office. The national assembly is a 342-member House and the opposition needs to make 172 members resign from the assembly so that the prime minister may not be able to enjoy confidence of majority of the total members of the House. The opposition parties will need a total of 172 resignations while it currently has 156 seats. Pakistan Muslim League-N has 84 seats, Pakistan People’s Party 55, Muttahida Majlis–e–Amal 16, and Awami National Party 1 seat making it a total of 156. There is one other option for the PDM; seek support of the political parties in alliance with the ruling PTI but it seems a rare possibility under the circumstances. Had they got the number above 172, a no-confidence motion against the prime minister would have been their first priority.
If PDM still decides to tender resignations, the possible scenario must be very disturbing for them. ECP is bound to announce bye-election on the vacant seats.
Article 224 of the Constitution talks about the time of election and by-election in the country.
It says “When, except by dissolution of the National Assembly or a Provincial Assembly, a seat in any such Assembly has become vacant not later than one hundred and twenty days before the term of that Assembly is due to expire, an election to fill the seat shall be held within sixty days from the occurrence of the vacancy.” The opposition parties would not be in a position to stop the ECP from holding the bye-election on vacant seats. And to the disappointment of the opposition parties, there would be no caretaker setup as has been the case when the House completes its term and the incumbent governments would preside over the bye-elections.
The resignations would be a political disaster for the opposition legislators as they would leave the field open for the candidates from the parties other than PDM in the bye-election. Giving walkover to the opponent in a political constituency means political demise.
And here lies another barrier for the opposition politicians; where would they stand if they decide to contest the bye-election under the same regime they had been fighting against for being the illegitimate one? Another interesting question is whether, after having resigned, the politicians from the opposition parties would be protesting against the incumbent government on streets or start their election campaign for the bye-elections.
https://nation.com.pk/09-Dec-2020/political-space-to-shrink-for-pdm-after-resignations
Published in Pak Media comment and Pakistan