Pakistan’s parliament is set to vote on a no-confidence motion moved by the opposition to remove Imran Khan as prime minister, days after he blocked a similar attempt.
A defiant Khan says he is in a fight to protect the country’s sovereignty and has called his supporters to the streets to defy opponents determined to unseat him.
Khan acted unconstitutionally last Sunday in blocking the no-confidence vote and dissolving parliament, the Supreme Court ruled on Thursday, ordering parliament to reconvene.
Opposition says it has the 172 votes in the 342-seat National Assembly needed to unseat Khan, after several ruling party members and a small but key coalition partner defected.
Here are the latest updates:
23 mins ago (13:40 GMT)
PM Khan cabinet to meet as delay continues
Khan has called a cabinet meeting later today as the no-confidence vote was further delayed.
The cabinet will meet at 9 pm (1600 GMT) on Saturday, people familiar with the matter said, Reuters news agency reported.
2 hours ago (12:30 GMT)
PTI files review petition against Supreme Court decision
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) has filed a review petition against the Supreme Court order to delay a vote of no confidence.
On Thursday, the top court declared the speaker’s ruling which paved the way for the dissolution of assemblies as contrary to Pakistani law and the Constitution.
In its review petition, the PTI said that the court cannot interfere in parliament’s affairs, local media reported.
The move, according to legal experts, is aimed to delay the vote against PM Khan further.
2 hours ago (11:41 GMT)
Minister accuses Supreme Court of interference in Parliament’s affairs
Pakistan’s minister of planning, Asad Umar, has criticised the Supreme Court, saying it had no right to interfere in the affairs of the parliament.
“The Supreme Court’s decision is an interference in the supremacy of the parliament,” said Umar, who is also a close aide of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
“We respect the Supreme Court, but we are not ready to give up our [parliamentary] rights,” he added while addressing the parliament.
3 hours ago (11:16 GMT)
Committing contempt of court, Zardari tells gov’t
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has accused the speaker of parliament, Asad Qaiser, of committing contempt of the court by delaying a vote of no confidence.
“A five-judge bench issued the order and you [the speaker] could not have taken any other agenda than voting on a no-confidence motion,” said Zardari. “Implement the court order,” he urged Parliament.
“We respect the order but the court cannot interfere in Parliament’s affairs,” member of PTI and officer Amjad Ali Khan said.
4 hours ago (10:02 GMT)
Minister proposes in-camera session on ‘foreign conspiracy’
Resuming his speech in parliament, foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi has offered the opposition an in-camera session on foreign conspiracy if they had any doubts.
“Let’s go into an in-camera session and let the ambassador of Pakistan to the USA come and tell the house,” Qureshi said, adding that there had been “blatant attempts of regime change” in Pakistan.
Imran Khan has accused the United States of conspiring with the opposition to remove him.
4 hours ago (09:36 GMT)
Parliament session to decide Khan’s fate resumes
The crucial National Assembly session to vote on a no-confidence motion moved by the opposition parties has resumed.
Speaker Asad Qaiser, a Khan ally, had said the session would resume at 12:30 pm (0730 GMT), but there were no signs of parliament reconvening for more than three hours.
(Al Jazeera)
5 hours ago (09:03 GMT)
‘Maniac’s fear of having to face the music’: Sharif
Maryam Nawaz Sharif, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and daughter of former premier Nawaz Sharif, has accused Prime Minister Imran Khan of trying to delay the vote of no-confidence in parliament.
“A maniac’s fear of having to face the music has brought the entire country to a grinding halt and a complete standstill. The country of 22 crore (220 million) is without a government for weeks now,” she tweeted.
“This blatant violation of constitution and disregard to (Supreme Court) orders will be ugly and end badly.”
5 hours ago (08:40 GMT)
Who is Shehbaz Sharif, frontrunner for next Pakistan PM?
Shehbaz Sharif, the person most likely to be Pakistan’s next prime minister, is little known outside his home country but has a reputation domestically as an effective administrator more than as a politician.
The younger brother of three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz, 70, is leading a bid by the opposition in parliament to topple Imran Khan, and if a vote of no-confidence goes ahead on Saturday he is widely expected to replace Khan.
Shehbaz Sherif speaks to reporters outside the Supreme Court in Islamabad [File: Akhtar Soomro/Reuters]
6 hours ago (08:29 GMT)
Parliament session delayed by 90 minutes
The crucial parliamentary session to vote on the opposition’s no-confidence motion is delayed.
The speaker had adjourned the session till 12:30 pm (0730 GMT), but the proceedings have not resumed 90 minutes later.
The opposition has accused the government of delaying tactics in holding the vote.
6 hours ago (08:10 GMT)
Opposition leader asks speaker not to delay no-trust vote
Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has met National Assembly Speaker Asad Qasier, asking him not to delay the voting, Geo TV has reported.
Zardari asked the speaker not to use “delaying tactics” and hold the voting at the earliest.
Pakistani analysts say the government is delaying the vote to “frustrate” the opposition.
PTI lawmaker @asmaqadeer4 is busy scrawling “Zameerfrosh Murdabad,” “Amreeka ka Jo yar ha ghaddar ha” on placards while opposition members wait patiently for the session to begin Opposition alliance plans to vote out PM Imran Khan and elect Shehbaz Sharif new leader of the house pic.twitter.com/xyhwudVvZC
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) spokeswoman Marriyum Aurangzeb claims 176 members of the National Assembly will vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan.
In a tweet, the spokeswoman shared a break-up of legislators who she says are supporting the opposition’s no-confidence motion against Khan and are present in the house.
The embattled Prime Minister Imran Khan has not been seen in the parliament so far during the crucial session. The cricketer-turned-politician has often been criticised for not attending the proceedings of the house.
Neither Khan nor his party have issued any statement so far on whether Khan would attend the National Assembly, where a no-confidence motion against him is set to be put to vote.
The treasury benches look empty in the ongoing session, with a number of legislators from the ruling coalition deserting Khan and switching to the opposition alliance.
7 hours ago (06:33 GMT)
Deputy speaker defends blocking April 3 no-trust vote
Parliament’s deputy speaker has defended his ruling which blocked the opposition’s no-confidence motion on April 3.
“How can you overlook direct attack on the state?” Qasim Suri told Geo TV, claiming he did not violate the constitution by his move, which was overturned by the Supreme Court on Thursday.
“The entire nation felicitated me and I am proud of my ruling,” Suri said. “The entire nation is still with Imran Khan”.
The Supreme Court can order ANY state organ to compel ANYONE to comply with its orders. It can also take Suo Motu notice of any attempt by Speaker, PM or President to obstruct implementation of its orders.
Before the National Assembly session was adjourned, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in his address referred to an alleged “foreign conspiracy” to topple the government.
Qureshi said the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party wants a probe into the diplomatic cable in which a foreign country had threatened Pakistan.
Khan has accused the US of conspiring with the opposition to remove him.
8 hours ago (06:07 GMT)
Speaker adjourns National Assembly session
The National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser has adjourned the meeting of the house until 12:30 pm (0730 GMT) amid protest by the opposition leaders.
After reading details of a court ruling ordering the no-trust vote, which Khan’s allies had blocked last Sunday, Qaiser adjourned the session. He did not give a reason for halting the session before the vote.
8 hours ago (05:54 GMT)
Shehbaz urges speaker to hold no-trust vote
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif has urged the parliament’s speaker to hold a vote on the no-confidence motion moved by the opposition.
“The Supreme Court declared steps taken by you and Prime Minister Khan as unconstitutional, so please hold a vote as per the court ruling,” he said.
“It is the moment and you must catch this moment with conviction and don’t follow a selected prime minister,” he said.
In response, Speaker Asad Qaiser said, “I have read the Supreme Court decision and will follow that in letter and spirit but we want to have a discussion on a ‘foreign conspiracy’.”
9 hours ago (05:32 GMT)
Crucial parliament session starts
The crucial meeting of the National Assembly has started, with Speaker Asad Qaiser presiding over the session.
— National Assembly of Pakistan???????? (@NAofPakistan) April 8, 2022
9 hours ago (05:07 GMT)
PTI may try to delay voting: Opposition
PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah says his party fears the government will try to delay the voting through a discussion on the alleged foreign conspiracy against Imran Khan.
“Though they (government) will try to delay, the Supreme Court ruling had make it mandatory to hold the crucial vote today,” Sanaullah told reporters.
9 hours ago (05:02 GMT)
Parliament put under tight security
Special security arrangements have been made for the crucial session of the National Assembly as security staff deny entries of those without a security pass.
Many journalists and guests of legislators who were not issued passes for Saturday’s session were denied entry into the building, local Geo TV reports.
People watch PM Imran Khan’s Friday night speech on a television screen, at a cafe in Islamabad [Akhtar Soomro/Reuters]
9 hours ago (04:58 GMT)
Opposition to meet before crucial session
Legislators and leaders of various political parties have started arriving in the parliament building for the crucial session that is scheduled to start at 10:30 am local time (0530 GMT).
Before the session, the opposition parties which have moved a no-confidence motion against Imran Khan will meet to discuss their strategy in the house.
In an impassioned televised address to the nation on the eve of a no-confidence vote in parliament, Khan urged Pakistanis – particular the country’s young who have been the backbone of his support since the former cricket star-turned-politician came to power in 2018 – to rally countrywide on Sunday night.
“All of you will have to come out on Sunday after evening prayer to protest, to peacefully protest … I again say that should never indulge in violence,” he said.
Outside of sports and a “Cold front coming down from Canada,” American news media only report on Canadian events that they believe are, or will be, influential to the US. Therefore, when Justin Trudeau’s announcement, having finally read the room, that Canada will be reducing the number of permanent residents admitted by more than 20 percent and temporary residents like skilled workers and college students will be cut by more than half made news south of the border, I knew the American media felt Trudeau’s about-face on immigration was newsworthy because many Americans would relate to Trudeau realizing Canada was accepting more immigrants than it could manage and are hoping their next POTUS will follow Trudeau’s playbook.
Canada, with lots of space and lacking convenient geographical ways for illegal immigrants to enter the country, though still many do, has a global reputation for being incredibly accepting of immigrants. On the surface, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver appear to be multicultural havens. However, as the saying goes, “Too much of a good thing is never good,” resulting in a sharp rise in anti-immigrant sentiment, which you can almost taste in the air. A growing number of Canadians, regardless of their political affiliation, are blaming recent immigrants for causing the housing affordability crises, inflation, rise in crime and unemployment/stagnant wages.
Throughout history, populations have engulfed themselves in a tribal frenzy, a psychological state where people identify strongly with their own group, often leading to a ‘us versus them’ mentality. This has led to quick shifts from complacency to panic and finger-pointing at groups outside their tribe, a phenomenon that is not unique to any particular culture or time period.
My take on why the American news media found Trudeau’s blatantly obvious attempt to save his political career, balancing appeasement between the pitchfork crowd, who want a halt to immigration until Canada gets its house in order, and immigrant voters, who traditionally vote Liberal, newsworthy; the American news media, as do I, believe immigration fatigue is why Kamala Harris is going to lose on November 5th.
Because they frequently get the outcome wrong, I don’t take polls seriously. According to polls in 2014, Tim Hudak’s Progressive Conservatives and Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals were in a dead heat in Ontario, yet Wynne won with more than twice as many seats. In the 2018 Quebec election, most polls had the Coalition Avenir Québec with a 1-to-5-point lead over the governing Liberals. The result: The Coalition Avenir Québec enjoyed a landslide victory, winning 74 of 125 seats. Then there’s how the 2016 US election polls showing Donald Trump didn’t have a chance of winning against Hillary Clinton were ridiculously way off, highlighting the importance of the election day poll and, applicable in this election as it was in 2016, not to discount ‘shy Trump supporters;’ voters who support Trump but are hesitant to express their views publicly due to social or political pressure.
My distrust in polls aside, polls indicate Harris is leading by a few points. One would think that Trump’s many over-the-top shenanigans, which would be entertaining were he not the POTUS or again seeking the Oval Office, would have him far down in the polls. Trump is toe-to-toe with Harris in the polls because his approach to the economy—middle-class Americans are nostalgic for the relatively strong economic performance during Trump’s first three years in office—and immigration, which Americans are hyper-focused on right now, appeals to many Americans. In his quest to win votes, Trump is doing what anyone seeking political office needs to do: telling the people what they want to hear, strategically using populism—populism that serves your best interests is good populism—to evoke emotional responses. Harris isn’t doing herself any favours, nor moving voters, by going the “But, but… the orange man is bad!” route, while Trump cultivates support from “weird” marginal voting groups.
To Harris’s credit, things could have fallen apart when Biden abruptly stepped aside. Instead, Harris quickly clinched the nomination and had a strong first few weeks, erasing the deficit Biden had given her. The Democratic convention was a success, as was her acceptance speech. Her performance at the September 10th debate with Donald Trump was first-rate.
Harris’ Achilles heel is she’s now making promises she could have made and implemented while VP, making immigration and the economy Harris’ liabilities, especially since she’s been sitting next to Biden, watching the US turn into the circus it has become. These liabilities, basically her only liabilities, negate her stance on abortion, democracy, healthcare, a long-winning issue for Democrats, and Trump’s character. All Harris has offered voters is “feel-good vibes” over substance. In contrast, Trump offers the tangible political tornado (read: steamroll the problems Americans are facing) many Americans seek. With Trump, there’s no doubt that change, admittedly in a messy fashion, will happen. If enough Americans believe the changes he’ll implement will benefit them and their country…
The case against Harris on immigration, at a time when there’s a huge global backlash to immigration, even as the American news media are pointing out, in famously immigrant-friendly Canada, is relatively straightforward: During the first three years of the Biden-Harris administration, illegal Southern border crossings increased significantly.
The words illegal immigration, to put it mildly, irks most Americans. On the legal immigration front, according to Forbes, most billion-dollar startups were founded by immigrants. Google, Microsoft, and Oracle, to name three, have immigrants as CEOs. Immigrants, with tech skills and an entrepreneurial thirst, have kept America leading the world. I like to think that Americans and Canadians understand the best immigration policy is to strategically let enough of these immigrants in who’ll increase GDP and tax base and not rely on social programs. In other words, Americans and Canadians, and arguably citizens of European countries, expect their governments to be more strategic about immigration.
The days of the words on a bronze plaque mounted inside the Statue of Liberty pedestal’s lower level, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” are no longer tolerated. Americans only want immigrants who’ll benefit America.
Does Trump demagogue the immigration issue with xenophobic and racist tropes, many of which are outright lies, such as claiming Haitian immigrants in Ohio are abducting and eating pets? Absolutely. However, such unhinged talk signals to Americans who are worried about the steady influx of illegal immigrants into their country that Trump can handle immigration so that it’s beneficial to the country as opposed to being an issue of economic stress.
In many ways, if polls are to be believed, Harris is paying the price for Biden and her lax policies early in their term. Yes, stimulus spending quickly rebuilt the job market, but at the cost of higher inflation. Loosen border policies at a time when anti-immigrant sentiment was increasing was a gross miscalculation, much like Trudeau’s immigration quota increase, and Biden indulging himself in running for re-election should never have happened.
If Trump wins, Democrats will proclaim that everyone is sexist, racist and misogynous, not to mention a likely White Supremacist, and for good measure, they’ll beat the “voter suppression” button. If Harris wins, Trump supporters will repeat voter fraud—since July, Elon Musk has tweeted on Twitter at least 22 times about voters being “imported” from abroad—being widespread.
Regardless of who wins tomorrow, Americans need to cool down; and give the divisive rhetoric a long overdue break. The right to an opinion belongs to everyone. Someone whose opinion differs from yours is not by default sexist, racist, a fascist or anything else; they simply disagree with you. Americans adopting the respectful mindset to agree to disagree would be the best thing they could do for the United States of America.
PHOENIX (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent proponent of debunked public health claims whom Donald Trump has promised to put in charge of health initiatives, said Saturday that Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office if elected president.
Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.
Kennedy made the declaration Saturday on the social media platform X alongside a variety of claims about the heath effects of fluoride.
“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” Kennedy wrote. Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, “want to Make America Healthy Again,” he added, repeating a phrase Trump often uses and links to Kennedy.
Trump told NBC News on Sunday that he had not spoken to Kennedy about fluoride yet, “but it sounds OK to me. You know it’s possible.”
The former president declined to say whether he would seek a Cabinet role for Kennedy, a job that would require Senate confirmation, but added, “He’s going to have a big role in the administration.”
Asked whether banning certain vaccines would be on the table, Trump said he would talk to Kennedy and others about that. Trump described Kennedy as “a very talented guy and has strong views.”
The sudden and unexpected weekend social media post evoked the chaotic policymaking that defined Trump’s White House tenure, when he would issue policy declarations on Twitter at virtually all hours. It also underscored the concerns many experts have about Kennedy, who has long promoted debunked theories about vaccine safety, having influence over U.S. public health.
In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, and continued to promote it even after fluoride toothpaste brands hit the market several years later. Though fluoride can come from a number of sources, drinking water is the main source for Americans, researchers say.
Officials lowered their recommendation for drinking water fluoride levels in 2015 to address a tooth condition called fluorosis, that can cause splotches on teeth and was becoming more common in U.S. kids.
In August, a federal agency determined “with moderate confidence” that there is a link between higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in kids. The National Toxicology Program based its conclusion on studies involving fluoride levels at about twice the recommended limit for drinking water.
A federal judge later cited that study in ordering the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate fluoride in drinking water. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen cautioned that it’s not certain that the amount of fluoride typically added to water is causing lower IQ in kids, but he concluded that mounting research points to an unreasonable risk that it could be. He ordered the EPA to take steps to lower that risk, but didn’t say what those measures should be.
In his X post Saturday, Kennedy tagged Michael Connett, the lead attorney representing the plaintiff in that lawsuit, the environmental advocacy group Food & Water Watch.
Kennedy’s anti-vaccine organization has a lawsuit pending against news organizations including The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy is on leave from the group but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.
What role Kennedy might hold if Trump wins on Tuesday remains unclear. Kennedy recently told NewsNation that Trump asked him to “reorganize” agencies including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and some agencies under the Department of Agriculture.
But for now, the former independent presidential candidate has become one of Trump’s top surrogates. Trump frequently mentions having the support of Kennedy, a scion of a Democratic dynasty and the son of former Attorney General Robert Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy.
Kennedy traveled with Trump Friday and spoke at his rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin.
Trump said Saturday that he told Kennedy: “You can work on food, you can work on anything you want” except oil policy.
“He wants health, he wants women’s health, he wants men’s health, he wants kids, he wants everything,” Trump added.
