PM Shahbaz to be 'tested' with confidence vote, says PTI chief Imran Khan

Tariq Butt / IANS

Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan on Saturday said that Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif will be “tested” through a confidence vote in a tit-for-tat move similar to the one he himself had faced as the premier in April.

In an appearance on Hum News show Hum Meher Bokhari Kay Sath, when asked if the incumbent prime minister could be asked to obtain a vote of confidence from the National Assembly, Imran said: “Absolutely, we will test him.”

Imran's remarks came after the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) threatened to leave the present coalition government. MQM-P's votes are crucial to keep the incumbent prime minister in office, Geo News reported.

MQM-P has threatened to quit the federal government if its reservations regarding delimitations in Karachi and Hyderabad are not addressed ahead of the local government polls — scheduled for Jan.15.

However, in a bid to keep them in the alliance, Shahbaz, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman have assured the MQM-P of addressing its concerns.

Against the backdrop of the recent political developments, Imran, during an interview with a private television channel, said: "PTI has passed the test. Now, Shahbaz Sharif will be fully tested," Geo News reported.

Referring to the recent vote of confidence taken by Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi, Imran said: "Our numbers had been completed. Moonis Elahi worked hard at the last moment to achieve the required numbers for the PML-Q."

The PTI chief, while denying allegations of horse-trading, said that the PDM is still stuck to the "politics of Changa Manga."

"The country has changed but they don't realise it," Imran said, adding that for the first time in the country's history, Punjab stood against the Punjab establishment during the by-elections in July 2022. "The bypolls changed the country's politics."

Meanwhile, President Arif Alvi said that he will follow the Constitution if asked to take a “vote of confidence” from PM Shahbaz.

In an interview on Bol News programme ‘Bas Bohat Hogaya,' Alvi said the Constitution has clearly mentioned the way forward in such situations.

According to a media report, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) says it is ready for elections to the Punjab Assembly, dissolved by Elahi, within the constitutionally stipulated period of ninety days.

At a huddle with senior PML-N leaders, Shahbaz discussed the party’s future action plan in the wake of Elahi's decision to dissolve the Punjab Assembly.

Meanwhile, Nawaz Sharif has summoned Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah to London for consultations on elections in Punjab. Khawaja, Sanaullah and Prime Minister’s special assistant on interior Attaullah Tarar were among the others present in the meeting.

"Rana Sanaullah briefed the meeting as to how Elahi managed to woo at least five angry lawmakers of the ruling coalition in Punjab at the last minute and that if that had not happened the federal coalition would have been in the game,” the official said.

In a phone call to Sharif, Sanaullah explained the reasons behind the PML-N’s failure to cause required defections in the parliamentary parties of PTI and PML-Q during Elahi’s trust vote.