Pakistan: Imran Khan was ousted from power in April after losing the no-confidence motion.
Islamabad:
The Pakistan government on Friday constituted a committee to decide whether former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party chief Imran Khan should be tried for high treason.
Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb told the media that the decision to set up the committee was taken by the cabinet to consider whether the PTI leadership was guilty of violating Article 6 of the Constitution.
According to Article 6, any person who “cancels or breaks or suspends or keeps in abeyance, or attempts to abrogate or conspire or suspends or suspends or suspends by the use of force or by the display of force or in any other unconstitutional manner. is guilty of high treason”. The offense is punishable with death.
The development comes after the Supreme Court issued a detailed judgment stating that it had overruled the controversial decision of former National Assembly deputy speaker Qasim Khan Suri on April 3 on a no-confidence motion against the then prime minister Khan.
“Whether these Acts attract Article 6 (high treason) of the Constitution has also been left open to the MPs to determine whether they should leave the doors open to such unconstitutional acts or such acts in the future.” Take appropriate measures to prevent disturbances,” Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel said in an additional note to the judgment.
Suri had ruled that the no-confidence motion was linked to a “foreign conspiracy” to topple the PTI government and was therefore not maintainable. A few minutes later, President Arif Alvi dissolved the National Assembly on the advice of the then Prime Minister Khan.
Suri’s decision was later suspended by the top court, which ordered that the motion should be voted on, leaving Khan out.
Information Minister Aurangzeb said the committee would work under the leadership of Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar and would put forth its suggestions in the next cabinet meeting.
“The Supreme Court judgment proved that the previous government had passed unconstitutional orders,” he said.