Disgruntled member of Imran Khan's party not to vote in no-trust against Pakistan PM
Mar 22, 2022
Lahore [Pakistan], March 22 : A dissident member of Pakistan's ruling party said on Tuesday that he will remain absent on the voting day of a no-trust motion against the country's premier.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)'s disgruntled lawmaker Ahmed Hussain Deharr in an exclusive interview to ARY News said that he had some reservations with ruling PTI but will not take part in voting on a no-trust motion against the premier.
"I am still part of PTI and will support the prime minister," said PTI MNA Deharr.
It is pertinent to mention that the National Assembly session had been convened on March 25 by Speaker of the Lower House of the Parliament Asad Qaiser at the requisition submitted by the joint opposition for tabling no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Irrespective of the outcome of the no-confidence vote against Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday, analysts believe his leadership of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) is already significantly "dented".
Imran Khan's party is facing an internal revolt, with several members of the National Assembly (MNAs) deserting the PTI and joining the opposition ranks.
The disgruntled MNAs numbering about two dozen, fearing backlash from the PTI central leadership and the cadres, lodged themselves at the Sindh House, a PPP-run facility. They openly threatened to vote in favour of the no-confidence motion, European Times said in its report.
The nine-member opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and Pakistan People Party (PPP) had signed the no-confidence motion against the Imran Khan government on March 8.
In the 342-member National Assembly, the party has 155 members and the support of 23 members from six other parties. It needs at least 172 members to sail through the no-confidence vote. With 24 of its own MNAs turning dissidents, PTI's task of securing adequate numbers has become even more massive and, in fact, impossible, European Times reported.
Meanwhile, Khan has warned the opposition that he would be more dangerous for them if ousted from power. He has also called for a rally in the capital on March 27 to mobilise his support base or whatever is left of it.
