The unexpected development came days after Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb vehemently refuted reports claiming that the premier had decided to seek a vote of confidence from Parliament.
The resolution for the trust vote, moved by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, stated: “The National Assembly of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan reposes its full confidence in the leadership of Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, as the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.”
After the resolution was moved, voting was conducted with lawmakers in favour of adopting the resolution rising from their seats.
Subsequently, NA Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf announced that 180 members of the House had risen from their seats in favour of the resolution.
“Consequently, Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has obtained the vote of confidence from the National Assembly and commands the confidence of the majority of the members of the National Assembly as prime minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” he said amid thumping of desks by lawmakers.
The NA speaker further said that had late Mufti Abdul Shakoor — the federal religious affairs minister who died in a car accident earlier this month — been present at today’s session, the premier would have garnered 181 votes in his support.
After the passing of the resolution, PM Shehbaz Sharif addressed the House and thanked the lawmakers for reposing confidence in him and assured them that he would never let them down.
Speaking about the 2018 polls, he termed them “fraud elections” and alleged that the polls were rigged. “And the [former chief justice of Pakistan] Saqib Nisar ruled that the votes will not be recounted,” he said, adding that the polls were rigged by other means too.
The premier lamented that no investigation was conducted into the rigging allegations so far and demanded a probe into the matter.
He also referred to a recent audio clip — purportedly of a conversation between ex-CJP Nisar and PTI legal adviser Khawaja Tariq Rahim regarding a high-profile case currently being heard by the Supreme Court — and reiterated the allegation that former judge had been involved in “rigging” the 2018 elections to make the PTI win.
The premier then went on to say that Parliament’s decisions were being challenged today.
“This Parliament elected me as the prime minister. If this Parliament reaches a decision after debate and obliges the government and cabinet, then it is mandatory for me to respect its decision. It is mandatory for me to stand by them,” he said, vowing to stand by Parliament on its decisions.
“My government is standing with them […] no matter what,” he asserted.
In an apparent to a Supreme Court ruling, wherein the government was barred from implementing a bill clipping the CJP’s powers following its enactment, the premier said: “It is not possible that Parliament frames a law and the judiciary issues a stay order on it even before it is enforced.”
He was emphatic in saying that only Parliament had the right to make and amend the Constitution.
“The judiciary has no right to rewrite the Constitution […] This is the violation of law and Constitution that is happening today,” he said, lamenting that when Parliament objected to it, it had to face “threats of contempt”.
Referring to another top court order, he rued that the ruling stated if “you don’t abide by our orders, it means that the prime minister has lost the [confidence] of the majority of the House”.
“But the House has given its verdict today,” he added.
In this connection, the premier also said the House “has rejected the decision of a three-member SC bench and accepted a 4-3 verdict”.
He went on to say that even if he was sent packing in response to the vote of confidence held today, “I am ready to go back a thousand times, but I will not let them down”.
