No-trust vote: PTI allies no longer standing with govt, claims Pak Opposition
Mar 23, 2022
Islamabad [Pakistan], March 23 : Ahead of the no-confidence vote in the National Assembly, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) president Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Tuesday claimed that the allies of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) are no longer standing with the government, reported local media.
Rehman's statement came after his meeting with the leadership of the PTI ally, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) in Karachi on Tuesday, The News International reported.
"They (MQM-P) will announce that they are with us in a day or two [...] after meeting the MQM-P leadership, I am completely satisfied that the no-confidence motion will be successful," the media outlet quoted the PDM chief as saying during a press conference alongside MQM-P's convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui and other leaders following their meeting.
Rehman further said that the language used by Imran Khan during his recent rallies in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was not that of an "honourable person", adding that "it is disrespectful to have such people assume big offices".
Meanwhile, hinting at a rift with the PTI during the press conference, MQM-P convener Siddiqui said that his party "greatly valued" the "opinions of and suggestions" offered by the opposition alliance's leaders and will determine his party's stance on the no-trust move against Imran Khan "in the light of their" advice, the Dawn newspaper reported.
The developments come as the opposition parties in Pakistan submitted a no-confidence motion against Imran Khan in the National Assembly on March 8. The crucial session of the assembly to deliberate on the no-confidence motion has been summoned on March 25.
Ahead of the no-trust vote, the Opposition is attempting to cajole the PTI allies and seeking to break the government's alliance by holding back-to-back meetings with them, according to The News International.
Though exuding confidence in the failure of the no-trust move, Imran Khan has also intensified meetings with allies ahead of the session.
Notably, in the 342-member National Assembly, the Imran Khan government requires at least 172 members to sail through the no-confidence vote.
