Imran Khan to meet estranged allies ahead of no-confidence vote

Islamabad [Pakistan], March 26 : As the no-confidence motion against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government set to be taken up on March 28, Imran Khan is trying to woo back the allies whose support is crucial to save his government.
In a bid to reinforce trust and ensure their support against the no-confidence motion, Prime Minister Imran Khan will likely meet a delegation of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), a key ally of the ruling PTI, in Islamabad on Saturday (today), Geo News reported citing party sources.
This comes after a PTI delegation comprising federal ministers Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Asad Umar and Pervez Khattak called on MQM-P ministers in Islamabad on Friday.
Ahead of the National Assembly session on the no-confidence motion on Friday, Bilawal Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party (PPP) had announced that matters had been settled with MQM-P and that the ruling coalition member will vote in favour of the motion to oust Imran Khan. MQM-P is the largest ally of the ruling PTI coalition with seven members in the National Assembly.
MQM-P and PPP are working on a draft related to the provincial issues while a joint draft is being prepared with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on federal matters, The News International reported citing sources.
A day earlier, on Friday Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi had contacted another major ally of the ruling party, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), and requested a meeting.
The Pakistani National Assembly has a total strength of 342 members, with the majority mark being 172. The PTI-led coalition was formed with the support of 179 members, with Imran Khan's PTI having 155 members, and four major allies MQM-P, PML-Q, Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) having seven, five, five and three members respectively.
Imran Khan's situation is precarious given that three of the four allies-- MQM-P, PML-Q and BAP-- have stated their support to the Opposition's no-confidence motion and said that they will vote accordingly.
Adding to Khan's woes, almost 20 members from his own party had recently sought refuge in the Sindh House in Islamabad, and none of them showed up to the National Assembly on Friday.
The Opposition parties in Pakistan on the other hand hold the support of 162 members of the house, out of whom 159 members were present in the house on Friday. The Opposition members are expected to be joined by the three ruling coalition parties during the vote, helping them cross the majority mark, with 179 members supporting the no-confidence motion.
The session on no-confidence motion was adjourned on Friday morning shortly after tributes were offered to Khayal Zaman, a member of the house from the ruling PTI who had recently passed away.
Citing parliamentary convention, speaker of the National Assembly Asad Qaiser said the first sitting after the death of a Member of the National Assembly (MNA) is limited to prayers for the soul of the departed and tributes fellow lawmakers wish to pay them, The Dawn reported.