Pakistan political crisis: Bilawal Bhutto to be next foreign minister of Pakistan?

Defending his ruling which was later declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri Saturday said that all the decisions made in the National Security Committee (NSC) meeting were endorsed by the ISPR and all other state institutions. He maintained that he did not violate the constitution, adding, “I proved myself a patriotic Pakistani”. Qasim Suri said that the entire nation hailed his decision. “What should a patriotic Pakistani do when regimes are changed under a foreign agenda?” asked the deputy speaker.

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has alleged that Prime Minister Imran Khan was seeking military intervention in the country’s political affairs by delaying voting on no-confidence motion in National Assembly and to create a constitutional crisis.He made these remarks on Saturday during the crucial National Assembly session summoned on Supreme Court’s directive to hold voting on the no-trust motion against the premier.

The Foreign Office has conveyed its reservations over the government’s move to present contents of the “diplomatic cable” before parliament, warning that such a move would not only undermine working of the missions abroad, but also “damage our national interests”.The PTI government on Friday decided to present the contents of the infamous letter, which Prime Minister Imran Khan claimed contained evidence of a foreign plot seeking a regime change in Pakistan, before the National Assembly tomorrow (Saturday).Information and Law Minister Fawad Chaudhry informed the media after the cabinet meeting that the “original records of the cipher, only available with the government, would be kept in front of parliament".

Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Jawed Khan has said the Supreme Court’s ruling directing the National Assembly speaker to hold the voting on-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan should be implemented in letter and spirit.“I always fight in court but once the court passed order, it has to be implemented in letter and spirit and it shall be done,” the AGP told media persons in Islamabad on Saturday.

An official of Pakistan's top probe agency who was investigating high profile cases against prominent politicians has resigned from his office.The investigation agency has issued a notification in this regard. Dr Rizwan, Director Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Punjab Zone was leading the probe teams into graft references registered against Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, his son and Leader of the Opposition in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz as well as PTI's disgruntled leader Jahangir Tareen has resigned from the office and taken leave.

The cabinet will meet at 9pm on Saturday, people familiar with the matter said, the latest twist in a crisis that has threatened political and economic stability in the South Asian nation of 220 million people."We don't know the agenda of the meeting," one government official told Reuters. "We just have been instructed to meet."Members of Khan's party had suggested on Friday they would try to delay the vote as much as possible. His allies had blocked a similar vote last Sunday, but the country's Supreme Court ruled that move unconstitutional, setting up Saturday's session.

The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Saturday filed a review petition against the Supreme Court's verdict setting aside the National Assembly deputy speaker's rejection of the no-trust motion against Imran Khan. Meanwhile, the National Assembly secretariat has made it clear to the speaker that violating the apex court's decision to hold voting on the no-trust move will lead to contempt of court proceedings. The petition argued that the motion had "lapsed due to afflux of time" and thus any direction on it is "a direct violation of the stated mandate of the Constitution."

The much-awaited voting on the no-confidence motion against embattled Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is expected to take place after Iftar, the meal eaten after sunset during Ramzan to break the day's fast, a lawmaker from the Opposition PML-N party said in Parliament on Saturday. Speaking in the National Assembly session, Khawaja Saad Rafique of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) said the speaker had promised that the voting would be held after Iftar.According to Geo News, the voting is expected to take place after 8 PM.