June 20, 2003	Friday	Rabi-us-Sani 19, 1424

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ISLAMABAD, June 19: The combined opposition will submit a no-confidence motion against Speaker National Assembly Chaudhry Amir Hussain to the NA secretariat here on Friday.

This was disclosed by PPP’s Mian Raza Rabbani and MMA’s Liaquat Baloch while talking to Dawn separately on Thursday.

Earlier, the MMA was considering moving the no-trust motion separately as there was a delay from the ARD side, according to sources. However, the ARD leaders contacted the MMA leadership and expressed their desire to submit the motion jointly.

Both Mr Rabbani and Mr Baloch said that they had obtained signatures of several members on the motion and it would be submitted to the NA secretariat any time on Friday.

Earlier, a meeting of the newly-formed ARD parliamentary group was held at the Parliament Lodges here on Thursday morning. The meeting was attended by PPP’s Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Senator Mian Raza Rabbani, Syed Naveed Qamar, Makhdoom Shah Mehmood Qureshi, PML(N)’s Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan and JWP’s Haider Bugti.

The ARD leaders criticized the National Assembly speaker for giving a ruling on the LFO. They termed this ruling illegal and unconstitutional. They were of the view that a speaker could not give ruling on constitutional matters.

The heads of all component parties of the MMA, in a meeting held at the residence of Jamaat-i-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmed on Wednesday night, had already announced that they would contact other political parties having representation in the National Assembly to garner support for the no-trust motion.

MMA’s Liaquat Baloch said the speaker had lost the confidence of opposition members, and his removal from the office had become necessary.

He said the MMA believed that the speaker had actually sabotaged the process of dialogue and reconciliation efforts between the government and the opposition.

Both Mr Baloch and Mr Rabbani expressed hope that the no-trust motion against the speaker would succeed as there would be secret ballot on it.

Mr Rabbani said the motion was being moved under Rule 12 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the National Assembly. He said under this rule, any member of the assembly could table a no-trust move against the speaker or the deputy speaker.

Under the rules, after submission of the motion, the National Assembly session will have to be summoned within seven days. No other item can be included in the ‘Orders of the Day’ when the motion is presented for debate in the house.

The session of the assembly will be presided over by the deputy speaker as, under the rules, the speaker cannot act as a presiding officer after tabling of the no-trust motion against him.

For the motion to be accepted for debate, the opposition parties required the support of 86 members. The Rule 12(5) states: “...immediately after the motion has been moved, the presiding officer shall call such of the members as may be in favour of the leave being granted to rise in their seats and if, at least one-fourth of total membership of assembly does not so rise, he shall declare that the member has not the leave of the assembly, or, if such membership so rises, call upon the member to move the resolution”.

Under the rules, “except with the permission of the presiding officer, a member shall not speak on the resolution for more than 15 minutes.”

However, the speaker “may speak for 30 minutes or such longer time as the presiding officer may permit.”

Moreover, the assembly cannot be prorogued until the resolution has been voted upon. The Rule 12(8) states: “Voting on the resolution shall be by secret ballot which shall be held in such manner as the presiding officer may direct”.

APP adds: Jamaat-i-Islami chief Qazi Hussain Ahmad told a press conference after a working committee meeting of his party that the no-trust motion was being brought against the NA speaker because he committed a compromise on the sovereignty and supremacy of National Assembly by giving a ruling on the LFO.