Pakistan poll body says it has no role in no-trust vote after criticism from Imran Khan's party

Islamabad [Pakistan], March 17 : Amid the controversy surrounding the horse-trading of Pakistani lawmakers, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday responded to criticism from the country's Prime Minister Imran Khan by stating that the poll body has nothing to do with the no-trust motion against him.
A number of dissident lawmakers from the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have said they would vote on the no-confidence motion tabled against Imran Khan in "accordance with their conscience".
In response to this, Cabinet ministers of the Imran Khan government asked Pakistan's top electoral body to play its role over reports of floor-crossing of the members of the national assembly (MNAs), under Article 63-A.
In a handout issued on Thursday, the ECP said that it was the speaker of the National Assembly who acts as a presiding officer during the process of election and no-trust move against the Pakistan prime minister, ARY News reported.
The ECP rejected the interpretation of the Imran Khan government on the disqualification under article 63-A.
The election body said this article sheds light on the disqualification in case of floor crossing and the party head will apprise the presiding officer that is the speaker and chief election commissioner with regard to the declaration of the defection of the lawmaker.
This handout comes a few days after ECP issued notice to Imran Khan over alleged violation of the code of conduct before the first phase of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) local government (LG) elections and summoned him on March 14.
The ECP served notices to PM Imran Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Governor Shah Farman, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan and others for attending a public gathering in Lower Dir ahead of KP LG polls, reported ARY News.
The election commission also issued notices to Speaker National Assembly (NA) Asad Qaiser, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, federal ministers including Murad Saeed, Pervez Khattak and the provincial minister Anwar Zeb Khan for visiting Lower Dir to attend the public gathering.
As differences between the powerful Army and Pakistan Prime Minister continue to grow over several issues, it appears that Pakistan's powerful military establishment is fed up with the Imran Khan-led government.
The economic mismanagement, poor governance, and Khan government's failed foreign policy in the last three and a half years are evident reasons for his anticipated ouster from power in the coming weeks.
The opposition parties have brought a "no-confidence" motion against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) in the National Assembly on March 8. If all goes well, it is expected that the voting on the no-trust motion will take place in the last week of this month.