Lieutenant General (r) Tariq Khan has refused the government’s offer of heading a commission intended to probe the “threat letter” allegedly sent from the United States.
The retired military official confirmed his refusal in a tweet on Friday, wherein he stated, “I apologize to the [sic] head of the Lettergate Commission of Inquiry.”
The general’s statement came following the announcement by Information and Law Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Friday that Lieutenant General (r) Tariq Khan would lead the commission that would probe the “threat letter” from the United States.
In a post-cabinet meeting press conference, the information minister said the commission would give its report within 90 days after it probed how many dissident lawmakers had established contact with foreign powers.
“We have evidence of eight dissident lawmakers being in contact with foreign dignitaries,” Fawad said, adding, “The commission will look at a connection between local handlers and regime change.”
The commission was formed following the Supreme Court ruling that declared Prime Minister Imran Khan’s move to dissolve parliament as unconstitutional.
PM Khan had moved to dissolve the lower chamber of the house ahead of a no-confidence vote against him that he was projected to lose. According to the SC verdict, the vote should now go ahead.
Supreme Court of Pakistan had on Thursday declared the ruling of the National Assembly deputy speaker wherein the no-confidence motion against the prime minister was rejected as unconstitutional.
The decision of the Supreme Court was a unanimous ruling by the five-member bench, which declared National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri’s ruling to reject the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan as unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court had also declared the subsequent dissolution of the National Assembly by the president as unconstitutional, and that the prime minister was not in the legal right to write a letter to the president.
The Supreme Court also declared the advice to the president for dissolution of the National Assembly as unconstitutional.
The apex court nullified all the decisions made till date since the NA deputy speaker’s ruling.
The Supreme Court had ordered National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser to call a session of the National Assembly on April 9 for voting on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The court further stated that if the no-confidence motion succeeded, then the assembly would appoint a new prime minister.
