Will the PTI Government survive a vote of no confidence?

[MenInG]

Some rumblings but lets discuss

==

As the ruling party faces fresh headwinds and political rivals intensify their efforts to oust the ruling party, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is poised to move a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan this month.

The opposition party is smoothing out a strategy to bring an in-house change this month to oust the incumbent government, rather than in March or May, as was decided earlier.

Sources privy to the development said the opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif has also hammered out the nitty-gritty of the move while the PML-N supremo, Nawaz Sharif, has also given him permission to do so.
Currently, the PML-N president is weighing a ‘Plan A’ and ‘Plan B’ for the successful execution of this move, the sources added.

The sources said the possibility of the early no-confidence move comes after the 'backdoor contact' the opposition leader has been making with the government’s allies and leaders of other opposition parties to buttress its unified support against the government.

Prior to the summit of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), Shehbaz will also take Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and the opposition alliance’s chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman into confidence.
The decision was taken after PML-N’s contacts with the government’s allies and “angry members” of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

However, following the final decision on the move at the PDM summit, practical steps would be taken to oust the government.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2342890/pml-n-mulls-no-confidence-against-pm-this-month-1

 

[MenInG]

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz on Thursday said the situation for tabling a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan was now "favourable", and asked PTI members to stop backing the party in view of the "changed situation".

Former president Asif Ali Zardari and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had met PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and Maryam last week in Lahore and agreed to leave their differences behind for a common cause — sending Prime Minister Imran Khan home — and pledged to weigh all options to achieve the goal, including a no-confidence move and a joint long march.

It was reported two days ago that PML-N’s Central Executive Committee meeting on Monday remained unable to decide on moving a no-confidence motion against the PTI government, leaving it to supreme party leader Nawaz Sharif to take a call on the matter when he deems appropriate.

Maryam, in her press talk in Islamabad today, admitted that Nawaz was initially not in favour of a no-confidence move against the government. But, she said, "party members pressed him that people's wishes ought to be listened to as it is the only way to steer the country out of crisis."

However, she did not say whether Nawaz had given the go-ahead for the move.

Turning her guns on the prime minister, she said recent speeches by Imran Khan reflected his frustration due to a lack of public support, failure to deliver and his inability to govern the country.

To a question, the PML-N leader said it was too early to talk about Imran Khan's successor. "First we have to reach the stage of tabling a no-confidence motion, then a consensual decision on the next premier would have to be taken," she added.

'Those backing Imran now have to respect public calls'
Maryam, in response to another query, said those backing Imran Khan were now bound to listen to the grievances of people and act accordingly. "In this situation, you cannot go against the wishes of people."

She said it was a reality that the PTI government was not tenable, adding that the allies of the ruling party were aware of the fact that they won't be in a position to carry the baggage of the government's failures in the next election campaign.

She expressed confidence that PTI would be wiped out from mainstream politics in time to come.

Maryam said it was also incumbent upon all opposition parties to respect the sentiments of inflation-hit people and respond affirmatively to their calls.

She said the recent 15 per cent increase in salaries of Rangers and FC personnel by the prime minister was significantly low in view of almost "500pc surge in inflation".

Regarding awarding of appreciation certificates to different ministries by PM Imran today, Maryam said key ministries like the foreign ministry were left out from any recognition as the government had failed on various fronts.

Earlier, she said she was hopeful of getting justice from the Islamabad High Court in the Avenfield Apartments case.

DAWN

 

[Syed1]

The way the economy is rising and how the international inflation is slated to taper off the opposition will intensify their moves to bring no-confidence. They know if Khan survives till 2023 he will easily be re-elected.


If by some fluke they do manage to remove IK, then rest assured they will only increase his popularity and may help him get 2/3 majority whenever elections are held. Lose lose scenario for looters and plunderers.

 

[Major]

The purpose behind this Vote of no confidence isnt to remove Imran right now. It makes no sense to remove him as elections are to take place in an year.

PPP and PMLN are just testing waters... They want to see if the establishment is backing them or not. What is the motive of the establishment, is a full majority going to come or do one of these parties from the opposition have the backing of the establishment to win the next election.

This vote of no confidence is the best way to test the waters.

After this takes place, all parties would have a clear picture of who the establishment is putting its money on and than election mandates and campaigns would be organized.

 

[Syed1]

The purpose behind this Vote of no confidence isnt to remove Imran right now. It makes no sense to remove him as elections are to take place in an year.

PPP and PMLN are just testing waters... They want to see if the establishment is backing them or not. What is the motive of the establishment, is a full majority going to come or do one of these parties from the opposition have the backing of the establishment to win the next election.

This vote of no confidence is the best way to test the waters.

After this takes place, all parties would have a clear picture of who the establishment is putting its money on and than election mandates and campaigns would be organized.

Wow mashallah so the ever so "jamhoori" PPP and PML-N are waiting for green signal and backing from establishment and cannot beat Khan on their own in the general popularity amongst the voter base.


Do remind us how they are fighting for civilian supremacy.

 

[Syed1]

Spokesperson to finance minister explaining why opposition is in a hurry to remove Khan. They can see an end to their dynastic, self-serving politics where their 30-40 year rule has not resulted in any progress for the aam admi

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ur" dir="rtl">شرح نموع، برآمدات، ترصیلات، ٹیکس محصولات، غیر ٹیکس محصولات، کسان کارڈ، صحت کارڈ، کامیاب جوان، کامیاب پاکستان، اپنا گھر، کامیاب سفارتکاری چین سے روس، عالمی اقرار اکونمسٹ، بلومبرگ، ورلڈ ہیلت اور بہترین کرکٹ کے مقابلے۰ خان صاحب اپوزیشن کا گھبراتا تو بنتا ہے۰</p>— Muzzammil Aslam (@MuzzammilAslam3) <a href="https://twitter.com/MuzzammilAslam3/status/1491858672200593408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Major]

Wow mashallah so the ever so "jamhoori" PPP and PML-N are waiting for green signal and backing from establishment and cannot beat Khan on their own in the general popularity amongst the voter base.


Do remind us how they are fighting for civilian supremacy.

even PTI cant beat ppp or pmln on general popularity. All three parties are relying on the establishment. This is why this vote of no confidence is happening and all three parties will be watching who gets the call from above.

Forget about free fair elections now, it didn't happen in 2018 it wont be happening again in future.

If you think the last ones were free and fair, as a PTI fan dont you think you guys would had gotten a majority?

 

[Bewal Express]

The Nooras in particular are getting desperate because the SS cases cant be wished away with 16bn laundered and all the paper trail available. If IK is in power then the judges and witnesses cant be brought off and thats why these moves are afoot. The PPP are happy with looting Sindh and have no prospect of coming to power in the Centre unless its part of a coalition.

 

[Savak]

Depends on the amount of money Zardari and the Sharif's have spent on buying out people.

 

[Major]

What sad that pti fans will talk in support for PTI and pmln ppp fans will talk in support for their party..

But no one is going to talk about how this vote of no confidence is being done to appease to the establishment and giving them a freehand to intervene...

This would never happen in Indian politics, as the parties there are united on democratic form of politics.

Our 3 parties are just interested in grabbing power and giving army more influence in the politics. Not like they never had great influence, but this only enlarges their power over the governance of this country. All three are holding a begging bowl and seeing who will the establishment choose as the puppet.

And no one is going to talk about this, thats how blind the public.

It's time another party is created and gets us out the mess that is now brewing up.

 

[DRsohail]

Spokesperson to finance minister explaining why opposition is in a hurry to remove Khan. They can see an end to their dynastic, self-serving politics where their 30-40 year rule has not resulted in any progress for the aam admi

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="ur" dir="rtl">شرح نموع، برآمدات، ترصیلات، ٹیکس محصولات، غیر ٹیکس محصولات، کسان کارڈ، صحت کارڈ، کامیاب جوان، کامیاب پاکستان، اپنا گھر، کامیاب سفارتکاری چین سے روس، عالمی اقرار اکونمسٹ، بلومبرگ، ورلڈ ہیلت اور بہترین کرکٹ کے مقابلے۰ خان صاحب اپوزیشن کا گھبراتا تو بنتا ہے۰</p>— Muzzammil Aslam (@MuzzammilAslam3) <a href="https://twitter.com/MuzzammilAslam3/status/1491858672200593408?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 10, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Thu aug are getting better and PPP and PMLN will never want us to get better, gutter menatality.

 

[MenInG]

The PML-Q leaders’ meetings with PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and government ally Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leaders have compelled the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government to launch a counter-offensive and assess what’s cooking in the PML-Q camp.

The Chaudhrys are an important ally of the government in the centre and Punjab.

In a related development, PTI dissident Jahangir Tareen’s group has also emerged on the scene and held a meeting to review the political situation. It is also weighing options to meet major opposition parties — PML-N and PPP which are fervently moving ahead “to oust the PTI government”.

PML-N Secretary-General Ahsan Iqbal also hinted that a meeting was expected with the Tareen group soon.

None other than Prime Minister Imran Khan spoke his heart out on Wednesday by saying that all opposition parties were banding together to avoid accountability and punishment and that “the opposition parties are afraid of me”.

The PML-Q leaders received Mr Zardari early this week and the very next day, MQM-P leaders Aamir Khan and Waseem Akhtar called on PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif and assured him that their party would respond to the opposition’s support demand after discussing it with the party’s coordination committee.

In order to counter the political moves against the government, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser arrived in the city on Thursday and held meetings with Chaudhry Shujaat Husain and Chief Minister Usman Buzdar.

“Mr Qaiser had arrived to inquire after Shujaat Husain and he did ask about Mr Zardari’s meeting with PML-Q president Shujaat and Punjab president Parvez Elahi,” a source in the PML-Q told Dawn.

The source said Mr Qaiser had been told that the PML-Q leaders had old relations with Mr Zardari and he had come to inquire after Mr Husain.

A source in the PTI government said the party was disturbed after Mr Elahi’s statement that things were being collected in the kitchen and it remained to be seen what the joint opposition parties would cook — a clear reference to clarity about the opposition roadmap.

The source said the PTI was also upset about PML-Q senator Kamil Ali Agha’s statement that his party was not with Prime Minister Imran Khan but the state of Pakistan. However, a PML-Q leader did not own the statement saying, “Mr Agha had stated this mistakenly”.

It’s business as usual, the source said, adding that there was no serious political move as being considered by the PTI. Soon afterwards, the PML-Q released a statement by Shujaat Husain wherein he requested all parties’ leaders that political matters should not be limited to meetings but together they should plan to benefit people.

Mr Husain stressed that the PTI government should also take practical steps for the betterment of the indigent.

The National Assembly speaker also called on (acting governor) Parvez Elahi at the Governor House and discussed the political situation, parliamentary affairs, upcoming local government elections and the Punjab Local Government Amendment Bill, says meeting details issued by the PTI government.

Mr Elahi said the LG institutions could play a vital role in solving people’s problems at the grassroots level. Taking Mr Qaiser into confidence on the Local Government Bill under consideration in the standing committee in the Punjab Assembly, Mr Elahi said the amendment bill envisaged giving maximum powers to the LG representatives.

The NA speaker said the political representatives could provide relief to the masses through effective legislation. “Maximum time is being given to the parliamentarians in the House to discuss problems faced by the masses,” he stated.

MNAs Junaid Akbar, Saleh Muhammad, Dr Haider Ali and Punjab Assembly secretary Muhammad Khan Bhatti were present at the meeting.

Later, Asad Qaiser called on Chief Minister Usman Bazdar and discussed the political situation and public welfare projects. Both condemned the negative politics of the opposition and agreed to counter every tactic. Both also decided to make the bilateral relations more effective.

The chief minister pointed out that those who speak of the no-confidence move had earlier claimed that they would hold rallies and tender resignations. He said the opposition’s move was an attempt to avoid a long march.

Mr Qaiser said the opposition’s attempts to spread political chaos would not succeed and added, “In the current situation, the politics of chaos is against the national interests”.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2022

 

[Maher96]

PDM announces no-trust motion against PM Imran’s govt


Pakistan Democratic Alliance (PDM), the anti-government opposition alliance, on Friday announced bringing a no-confidence motion against the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The announcement was made following a meeting of the multi-party alliance during a press conference in Islamabad.


JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who also heads the PDM, said that the participants of the meeting unanimously decided to bring a no-confidence motion against the "incompetent" government, adding that the allies of the ruling party would also be contacted in this connection.

"We will ask them [coalition partners of PTI government] to have some mercy on the people of Pakistan the way they have been dealt with [by the current regime] during the last few years," he added.

More to follow...

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2343108/pdm-announces-no-trust-motion-against-pm-imrans-govt

 

[Bewal Express]

The PML-Q leaders’ meetings with PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and government ally Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leaders have compelled the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government to launch a counter-offensive and assess what’s cooking in the PML-Q camp.

The Chaudhrys are an important ally of the government in the centre and Punjab.

In a related development, PTI dissident Jahangir Tareen’s group has also emerged on the scene and held a meeting to review the political situation. It is also weighing options to meet major opposition parties — PML-N and PPP which are fervently moving ahead “to oust the PTI government”.

PML-N Secretary-General Ahsan Iqbal also hinted that a meeting was expected with the Tareen group soon.

None other than Prime Minister Imran Khan spoke his heart out on Wednesday by saying that all opposition parties were banding together to avoid accountability and punishment and that “the opposition parties are afraid of me”.

The PML-Q leaders received Mr Zardari early this week and the very next day, MQM-P leaders Aamir Khan and Waseem Akhtar called on PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif and assured him that their party would respond to the opposition’s support demand after discussing it with the party’s coordination committee.

In order to counter the political moves against the government, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser arrived in the city on Thursday and held meetings with Chaudhry Shujaat Husain and Chief Minister Usman Buzdar.

“Mr Qaiser had arrived to inquire after Shujaat Husain and he did ask about Mr Zardari’s meeting with PML-Q president Shujaat and Punjab president Parvez Elahi,” a source in the PML-Q told Dawn.

The source said Mr Qaiser had been told that the PML-Q leaders had old relations with Mr Zardari and he had come to inquire after Mr Husain.

A source in the PTI government said the party was disturbed after Mr Elahi’s statement that things were being collected in the kitchen and it remained to be seen what the joint opposition parties would cook — a clear reference to clarity about the opposition roadmap.

The source said the PTI was also upset about PML-Q senator Kamil Ali Agha’s statement that his party was not with Prime Minister Imran Khan but the state of Pakistan. However, a PML-Q leader did not own the statement saying, “Mr Agha had stated this mistakenly”.

It’s business as usual, the source said, adding that there was no serious political move as being considered by the PTI. Soon afterwards, the PML-Q released a statement by Shujaat Husain wherein he requested all parties’ leaders that political matters should not be limited to meetings but together they should plan to benefit people.

Mr Husain stressed that the PTI government should also take practical steps for the betterment of the indigent.

The National Assembly speaker also called on (acting governor) Parvez Elahi at the Governor House and discussed the political situation, parliamentary affairs, upcoming local government elections and the Punjab Local Government Amendment Bill, says meeting details issued by the PTI government.

Mr Elahi said the LG institutions could play a vital role in solving people’s problems at the grassroots level. Taking Mr Qaiser into confidence on the Local Government Bill under consideration in the standing committee in the Punjab Assembly, Mr Elahi said the amendment bill envisaged giving maximum powers to the LG representatives.

The NA speaker said the political representatives could provide relief to the masses through effective legislation. “Maximum time is being given to the parliamentarians in the House to discuss problems faced by the masses,” he stated.

MNAs Junaid Akbar, Saleh Muhammad, Dr Haider Ali and Punjab Assembly secretary Muhammad Khan Bhatti were present at the meeting.

Later, Asad Qaiser called on Chief Minister Usman Bazdar and discussed the political situation and public welfare projects. Both condemned the negative politics of the opposition and agreed to counter every tactic. Both also decided to make the bilateral relations more effective.

The chief minister pointed out that those who speak of the no-confidence move had earlier claimed that they would hold rallies and tender resignations. He said the opposition’s move was an attempt to avoid a long march.

Mr Qaiser said the opposition’s attempts to spread political chaos would not succeed and added, “In the current situation, the politics of chaos is against the national interests”.

Published in Dawn, February 11th, 2022

The Ch also know that they are finished if they go againts IK. For a start if IK had put up candidates against them they wouldnt have won their elections and if the Nooras win in Punjab, these guys will be totally irrelevant.

 

[MenInG]

Minutes after the multi-party alliance, PDM, vowed to table a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly, the PTI-led government on Friday downplayed the announcement, saying the opposition parties lacked the required votes to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan.

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who also heads the PDM, said that the participants of today's meeting unanimously decided to bring a no-confidence motion against the "incompetent" government, adding that the allies of the ruling party would also be approached in this connection.

“The ‘Pakistan Corruption Limited Party’ met today to bring a no-confidence motion against the government,” Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said in a video statement referring to the PDM huddle held in Islamabad.


He dared the opposition parties to table the no-confidence motion against the government tomorrow, saying “no one has the courage to bring a no-confidence motion against [PM] Imran Khan”.

The minister also said that PML-N President Shehbaz believed that such tactics could save him from indictment by a special court on February 18 in the sugar scam case. “It will not happen,” he added.

Fawad further said Maulana Fazl had been trying to send the PTI government packing from day one “but he has no strength in his arms”.

While challenging the opposition alliance to bring the no-confidence motion, he said the ruling party's lawmakers with the help of opposition MNAs “will give them [PDM] surprise”.

Reacting to the announcement, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said the entire opposition together cannot defeat PM Imran both inside and outside parliament.

“The opposition is fighting for its survival as they have failed miserably in toppling the government. They don't have required lawmakers for [no-confidence] motion,” Rashid was quoted as saying in a statement.

The minister added that the opposition parties were now “begging” for support from the government’s allies.

“Neither will they [opposition] bring no-confidence motion nor would they march on Islamabad next month, he added.

State Minister for Information Farrukh Habib in a tweet said the opposition leaders’ facial expressions reflected that they could not bring the no-trust move against Premier Imran.

“The opposition will bring no-trust motion against each other,” he added.

 

[MenInG]

As the opposition gears up to bring a no-confidence motion against the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, former president Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday assured the chief of the anti-government alliance, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, that he would support the motion against the premier.

In a telephonic conversation with the JUI-F chief, the PPP co-chairperson expressed his support as Fazl inquired about Zardari's health and the two discussed the overall political situation of the country.

Fazl also said that he would soon contact the government's allies to make the no-confidence motion a success. The JUI-F chief would also address the Ulema Mashaikh Conference at Raiwind Road today in this regard.

A day earlier, the anti-government opposition alliance announced bringing a no-confidence motion against the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

In January, the former president had said the prospects of re-joining the PDM were dim.

On February 11, during a press conference, the JUI-F chief said that the participants of the PDM meeting unanimously decided to bring a no-confidence motion against the "incompetent" government, adding that the allies of the ruling party would also be contacted in this connection.

"We will ask them [coalition partners of PTI government] to have some mercy on the people of Pakistan the way they have been dealt with [by the current regime] during the last few years," he added.

Fazl said that a committee would also be constituted to contact the government's allies. However, he added, the members of the committee would be announced later.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2343170/zardari-assures-fazl-of-support-for-no-trust-motion-against-pm

 

[Bewal Express]

As the opposition gears up to bring a no-confidence motion against the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan, former president Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday assured the chief of the anti-government alliance, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, that he would support the motion against the premier.

In a telephonic conversation with the JUI-F chief, the PPP co-chairperson expressed his support as Fazl inquired about Zardari's health and the two discussed the overall political situation of the country.

Fazl also said that he would soon contact the government's allies to make the no-confidence motion a success. The JUI-F chief would also address the Ulema Mashaikh Conference at Raiwind Road today in this regard.

A day earlier, the anti-government opposition alliance announced bringing a no-confidence motion against the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

In January, the former president had said the prospects of re-joining the PDM were dim.

On February 11, during a press conference, the JUI-F chief said that the participants of the PDM meeting unanimously decided to bring a no-confidence motion against the "incompetent" government, adding that the allies of the ruling party would also be contacted in this connection.

"We will ask them [coalition partners of PTI government] to have some mercy on the people of Pakistan the way they have been dealt with [by the current regime] during the last few years," he added.

Fazl said that a committee would also be constituted to contact the government's allies. However, he added, the members of the committee would be announced later.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2343170/zardari-assures-fazl-of-support-for-no-trust-motion-against-pm

Whats the wait? bring it this week and get it over and done with. Use your stolen billions to buy votes and show us what you have.

 

[moghul]

The way the economy is rising and how the international inflation is slated to taper off the opposition will intensify their moves to bring no-confidence. They know if Khan survives till 2023 he will easily be re-elected.


If by some fluke they do manage to remove IK, then rest assured they will only increase his popularity and may help him get 2/3 majority whenever elections are held. Lose lose scenario for looters and plunderers.

Yes, that's why IK is not worried about no confidence motion.

 

[moghul]

Whats the wait? bring it this week and get it over and done with. Use your stolen billions to buy votes and show us what you have.

There should be a live auction of the lota MNA's on TV, IPL style.

 

[Bewal Express]

There should be a live auction of the lota MNA's on TV, IPL style.

That would be some spectacle.

 

[MenInG]

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill has said the opposition was attempting to bring a no-confidence motion against the government in order to halt the ongoing accountability drive.

Addressing a press conference in Lahore on Saturday, Gill said that the Sharif family, former president Asif Zardari and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman are members of the “same mafia”. The opposition leaders have joined hands due to PM Imran Khan’s campaign against corruption.

He said that the opposition wanted to table the no-confidence motion in National Assembly to dodge accountability process and protect their “ill-gotten wealth”.

Gill said the opposition parties had been in trouble for the past few days and that was why all “thieves” joined hands against the government. “In the past, they would call each other thieves,” he added.

The SAPM said that PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif was left with no option to escape accountability as special court would indict him in sugar scam case on February 18.

“Indictment with all proofs of his corruption is ready and now only punishment is to be awarded. Now Shehbaz Sharif, along with rest of the opposition, is trying to save himself from indictment,” he added.

Gill said that the prime minister would never give an NRO [secret deal] or make any compromise with anyone, saying as he was firm in his stance against corruption.

The PM’s aide said the “medals” should be given to Shehbaz and Zardari for making the poor vendors and peons billionaires as allegedly billions of rupees were recovered from their bank accounts.

Likewise, he claimed that billions of rupees were kept in the bank accounts of poor employees by Asif Ali Zardari.

He said that every action of the opposition would strengthen the government.

Speaking about other issues, Gill said aid Uzbekistan had announced using Pakistani seaport, which “is a great achievement of the government”. He said that the previous government had left Rs7 billion foreign reserves while the current government raised it to Rs22 billion.

He said that inflation was an international issue, and all countries were facing the same financial crunch.

 

[MenInG]

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday has said that the incumbent government will respond to the Opposition’s no-confidence motion according to the Constitution.

The minister made the remarks during a meeting with Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser.

He stated that the Opposition will never succeed in its no-confidence motion as all allies of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) are with the government and have full confidence in its leadership.

The minister further claimed that the ruling party was fully capable to defend the no-confidence motion if moved by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

Important issues related to the forthcoming session of the National Assembly were also discussed during the meeting.

The anti-government opposition alliance, the PDM, on Friday, announced bringing a no-confidence motion against the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The announcement was made following a meeting of the multi-party alliance during a press conference in Islamabad.

JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who also heads the PDM, said that the participants of the meeting unanimously decided to bring a no-confidence motion against the "incompetent" government, adding that the allies of the ruling party will also be contacted in this connection.

"We will ask them [coalition partners of PTI government] to have some mercy on the people of Pakistan the way they have been dealt with [by the current regime] during the last few years," he added.

 

[Bewal Express]

What is the opposition waiting for? They claim they have the numbers, so bring it on.

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday said the joint opposition will not opt for unconstitutional means to dislodge the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

Speaking to the media, Fazl, who is the chief of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) as well, said the opposition will not let "anyone bury the system".

"The initial contact [with political parties] to oust the government has borne good results and soon the votes [for a no-confidence motion] will be complete," he added.

Fazl said the modalities to bring a no-confidence vote against the government will be finalised in an upcoming meeting of the opposition parties. "We will not bury the system," he added.

In a comment about a ban on headscarves in the Indian state of Karnataka, Fazl said the JUI-F will mark a 'Hijab Day' next Friday to express solidarity with the Indian Muslims.

On Friday, during a press conference, the JUI-F chief said that the participants of the PDM meeting unanimously decided to bring a no-confidence motion against the "incompetent" government, adding that the allies of the ruling party will also be contacted in this connection.

 

[Bewal Express]

Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Sunday said the joint opposition will not opt for unconstitutional means to dislodge the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

Speaking to the media, Fazl, who is the chief of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) as well, said the opposition will not let "anyone bury the system".

"The initial contact [with political parties] to oust the government has borne good results and soon the votes [for a no-confidence motion] will be complete," he added.

Fazl said the modalities to bring a no-confidence vote against the government will be finalised in an upcoming meeting of the opposition parties. "We will not bury the system," he added.

In a comment about a ban on headscarves in the Indian state of Karnataka, Fazl said the JUI-F will mark a 'Hijab Day' next Friday to express solidarity with the Indian Muslims.

On Friday, during a press conference, the JUI-F chief said that the participants of the PDM meeting unanimously decided to bring a no-confidence motion against the "incompetent" government, adding that the allies of the ruling party will also be contacted in this connection.

The Crooked Diesel needs to bring the vote ASAP. Stop hiding you old crook. You want free halwa, but your not getting any.

 

[Maher96]

Planning Minister Asad Umar has said that opposition parties instead of making a “futile” attempt to bring a no-confidence motion against the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan should keep an eye on each other owing to “trust deficit” within their ranks.

Addressing the media in Punjab’s small town Uch Sharif on Sunday, the minister said the parliament had approved a number of bills introduced by the government despite opposition’s protest. He also referred to the SBP Amendment Bill, which was recently bulldozed in the opposition-dominated Senate.

“The opposition parties should worry about their own members as they are unable to control them,” he remarked.

Umar said the attempts being made by the joint opposition alliance, PDM, to de-seat Prime Minister Imran Khan through a no-trust move in National Assembly was bound to fail like previous such bids.

Earlier this week, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who also heads the PDM, announced that constituent parties of the alliance had agreed on bringing a no-confidence motion against the "incompetent" government, adding that the allies of the ruling party would also be approached in this connection.

On Saturday, PML-N leader and former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi claimed that over 22 MNAs belonging to the ruling party were willing to pedal into the folds of the opposition but would not do so as long as the “state” backed the incumbent government — a tacit reference to the “establishment”.

The former premier’s claim has snowballed into controversy and is likely to seed grounds for another searing chapter of a political slugfest as the opposition is already engaged in meetings with the coalition partners in efforts to buttress its force against the government.

Speaking about other issues, Umar said that the performance of the ruling PTI was better than the previous governments and PM Imran Khan was “working day and night” for the development of the country.

On rising inflation, the minister said the issue was not only limited to Pakistan rather it was a global phenomenon but assured that the government was making all-out efforts to provide relief to the masses.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/234330...to-trust-deficit-within-opposition-ranks-umar

 

[Maher96]

Shehbaz meets Chaudhrys to muster support for no-trust move

LAHORE:
A PML-N delegation led by its President Shehbaz Sharif met PML-Q leaders at their residence in Lahore after a gap of 14 years as part of their efforts to muster support for the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The PML-N delegation discussed matters of mutual interest and prevailing political situation with former prime minister Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervez Elahi, according to an official statement.

The PML-N delegation included former speaker National Assembly Ayaz Sadiq, Rana Tanveer, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Ataullah Tarar, Shabbir Usmani, MNA Salik Hussain and Shafi Hussain.

Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz inquired after Chaudhry Shujaat’s health on behalf of party supremo Nawaz Sharif and wished him a speedy recovery, the statement said.

The PML-Q chief thanked the former premier for showing concern about his health, it added.

Sources privy to the details of the meeting told The Express Tribune that the meeting lasted for over an hour during which the PML-N leader sought PML-Q's support for no-confidence motion against PM Imran in National Assembly.

The opposition leader said during the meeting that despite being an ally of the PTI government, PML-Q on various occasions had expressed concerns over the government’s policies. “Now it’s time to make a big decision,” Shehbaz was quoted as saying.

However, the Chaudhry brothers said that the coming days are crucial and their party will take decision after evaluating the situation.

A day after the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) announced its plans for bringing a no-trust motion against the government, the opposition on Saturday kicked its strategic preparations into high gear to muster support for its ambitious plan.

The chief of the anti-government alliance, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, met with the leadership of the ruling party’s ally, Chaudhry brothers of the PML-Q, at their residence on Saturday.

Similarly, former president and PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, in a telephonic conversation, assured Fazl of fully supporting the motion against the prime minister.

Zardari expressed his willingness to throw weight behind the move as Fazl inquired after his health. The two discussed the overall political situation of the country.

On Friday during a news conference, the JUI-F chief had announced that the participants of the PDM meeting unanimously decided to bring a no-confidence motion against the government, adding that the alliance would constitute a committee to peel off allies of the ruling party to put the word into action.

However, he added, the members of the committee would be announced later. The fate of the opposition’s no-trust motion hinges on the defection of government allies or its lawmakers. During the telephonic conversation with Zardari, Fazl also said that he would soon contact the government’s allies to ensure the success of the no-confidence motion.

Earlier, PML-N leader and former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi told The Express Tribune that at least 22 MNAs belonging to the ruling PTI party were willing to pedal into the folds of the opposition but would not do so as long as the “state” backed the incumbent government – a tacit reference to the ‘establishment’.

Abbasi said the lawmakers were waiting for “clear signals” that there will be no pressure on them from the powers that be if they move ahead.

However, the government vehemently denied the possibility of defection and insisted that the scenario was quite the contrary.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2343309/shehbaz-meets-chaudhrys-to-muster-support-for-no-trust-move

 

[Syed1]

Despite 'mehngayi' 63k came out today and voted for PTI in the mayor elections of DI Khan. The runner up from JUI-F only managed 35k votes. This is the hometown of PDM president Maulana Fazul ur Rehman.

The opposition is playing a very dangerous game by doing dirty politics trying to remove such a popular leader. It may throw the country in chaos.

 

[shaaik]

Despite 'mehngayi' 63k came out today and voted for PTI in the mayor elections of DI Khan. The runner up from JUI-F only managed 35k votes. This is the hometown of PDM president Maulana Fazul ur Rehman.

The opposition is playing a very dangerous game by doing dirty politics trying to remove such a popular leader. It may throw the country in chaos.

Do they even care about the country. For turn power is more important than everything else.

 

[MenInG]

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday hit out at opposition parties, saying that their attempts to woo his government’s coalition partners particularly PML-Q to muster support for no-confidence motion reflected that they were in a ‘state of panic’.

“The workers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf are ‘battle-hardened’ and opposition leaders in a state of panic are approaching political leaders like Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, showing concern about his health,” he said while addressing an international symposium on Pakistan's hydropower development in Islamabad.

He was referring to the recent meetings of PPP and PML-N leaders with PTI government’s allies including PML-Q, MQM-P and others.

PM Imran also commended the political acumen of veteran politician Chaudhary Shujaat saying the government was not concerned about the opposition’s meetings and it has full confidence in its allies.

The premier also appreciated Minister for Water Resources Moonis Elahi, who belongs to PML-Q, saying his performance as the minister was up to the mark.

Speaking on the occasion, Elahi assured the premier that his party would remain a coalition partner of the ruling PTI.

He downplayed the historic meeting with a PML-N delegation, saying, “We are political people and our job is to meet politicians. But, the most important thing to understand is that when political people make relations they honour them, as we have made with you to keep it intact”.

“Please, convey to your party members ghabrana nahin hai (there’s no need to panic),” he remarked to which the premier smiled and nodded.

A PML-N delegation led by its president Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday met with the PML-Q leadership at its residence in Lahore after a gap of 14 years as part of the efforts to muster support for the no-confidence motion against PM Imran.

Sources privy to the details of the meeting told The Express Tribune that the meeting lasted for over an hour during which the PML-N leader sought the PML-Q's support for the no-confidence motion against PM Imran in the National Assembly.

The opposition leader said during the meeting that despite being an ally of the PTI government, the PML-Q had expressed its concerns on various occasions over the government’s policies. “Now it’s time to make a big decision,” Shehbaz was quoted as saying.

Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) – anti-government alliance – had announced its plans for bringing a no-trust motion against the government last week after which the opposition kicked off its strategic preparations into high gear to muster support for its ambitious plan.

PDM chief Fazlur Rehman met with the leadership of the ruling party’s ally, Chaudhry brothers of the PML-Q, at their residence last week for this purpose.

Similarly, former president and PPP Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, in a telephonic conversation, assured Fazl of fully supporting the motion against the prime minister.

 

[MenInG]

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday said that he has “full faith” in Pakistan Muslim League- Quaid (PML-Q) after Federal Minister for Water Resources Moonis Elahi advised the premier to firmly quieten the ‘panic’ in his party.

The statement of water minister, who is also the son of Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi, delivered a potentially fatal blow to the opposition hopes of ousting the prime minister through a no-trust motion.

Addressing the International Symposium on Pakistan's Hydropower Development in Global Perspective, Elahi said the political environment was a "bit weird these days but there is nothing [substantial] in it”.

The PML-Q leader’s statement comes as the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is engaged in a courtship of the ruling party’s allies in an effort to forge a unified strategy on send the government packing.

The PML-Q leader, while addressing the premier directly, dismissed the opposition’s efforts as a mere “circus” and clarified that, “We are political people. It is our job to meet people.”

“What is important in this is that we as political people make connections; we have a connection with you and we want to make it last," he added. “So, it is my request that you tell the PTI in a firm way, 'aap ne ghabrana nahi hai' (you should not worry)".

The statement came as a shot in the arm of the prime minister who, while lauding PML-Q leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain’s unmatched political skills, reaffirmed his full faith in his family.

He was delivering a speech at the event right after Elahi’s speech.

The premier said that PTI was “battle-hardened” and now those who had panicked had started contacting personalities like Chaudhry Shujaat and showing concern about his health.

"[PML-Q leader and Federal Minister for Water Resources] Moonis Elahi said we shouldn't worry about the meetings," the premier said.

"Those who are worried have now thought of Chaudhry sahib's health. I believe he is a politician who has skills that perhaps no one else does but to suddenly remember his health ... these are the people who are worried.

"We have full faith in you (Elahi) and your family," he added.

Political expediency

Elahi’s statement has come just a day after a PML-N delegation led by its president, Shehbaz Sharif, met with the PML-Q leadership at its residence in Lahore after 14 years as part of the efforts to muster support for the no-confidence motion against PM Imran.

Though the ice has broken between PML-N and PML-Q after a long time political observers believe that it is unlikely to assume that everything would get back to normal in just a couple of meetings. They, however, say that the Chaudhry brothers have so far sided with the government but have also frequently expressed reservations against PTI government policies.

Following the meeting between Sharifs and the Chaudhrys, it was reported that Shehbaz sought PML-Q's support for the no-confidence motion against PM Imran in the National Assembly, saying now was the time to make a big decision.

Though the Chaudhry brothers told Shehbaz that the coming days were crucial and their party would make a decision after evaluating the situation, Elahi’s statement has left a little to the imagination and sent a strong message to the opposition parties to bank their support on something else than just merely relying on the government’s coalition partners.

The statement is also significant as the opposition parties recently showed unity and announced to bring a no-confidence motion. Amid claims that several PTI lawmakers were ready to jump the ship, it would be interesting to see in the coming days if the opposition gets any support from treasury benches, especially, after the allies have not yet openly extended support to them.

Apart from Shehbaz, PPP's co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and the government’s ally in Sindh – MQM-P – had meetings with PML-Q leadership to weigh on the option of ousting the government.

Apparently, at the moment, the opposition’s efforts to peel off allies of the ruling party are not yielding the desired results. The political analysts, however, say that nothing is final in the world of politics.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2343421/pml-q-shatters-opp-hopes-of-no-trust-move

 

[MenInG]

Minister for Information Fawad Hussain has said that the corrupt opposition leadership will fail in their attempt for no-trust as "they are going to land in jail for their loot and plunder of national wealth".

Last week, during a press conference in Islamabad, the Pakistan Democratic Alliance (PDM) – the anti-government opposition alliance – had announced bringing a no-confidence motion against the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

"They could bring a no-confidence motion if they manage to save themselves from corruption cases, but I do not foresee any such move as they would be in jail before their misadventure," the minister said while addressing the post-cabinet meeting media briefing on Tuesday.

Fawad said the opposition had made 13 abortive attempts in the past to oust the democratically elected government, and their current bid would meet the same fate.

He said it was evident from the fact that the opposition, including the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), had been relegated to the regions.

They are united not to oust the government, rather hamper the ongoing accountability drive aimed at the recovery of national wealth looted by them, he said, adding that it had proved the prime minister’s prediction that all the thieves would get united when the law took its course against them.

The minister went on to say that they are the leaders in question who have "no political future ahead".

He reiterated that the government wanted a live broadcast of the proceedings of major corruption cases so that the public and the media could know as to how the corruption was committed in a systematic way.

Accordingly, he added, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib would move a resolution in the National Assembly for a comprehensive debate regarding a live broadcast of the case of opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif.

Fawad further said the cabinet had expressed grave concern over the allegations levelled against prominent personalities, especially women, and campaigns on social media and some television channels, calling for effective legislation to prevent such abusive culture.

While concluding, he said that the cabinet members paid tribute to Prime Minister Imran Khan for the provision of the Covid-19 vaccine worth Rs127 billion by the federal government free of charge.

 

[MenInG]

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Friday hit out at opposition parties, saying "those attempting to bring a no-trust motion against the government do not even have the trust of their families and nation".

The minister's remarks come a day after PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz made another statement regarding the opposition's planned no-confidence motion, in which she termed the move was a "risk that should be taken" because Prime Minister Imran Khan was "on his last legs".

Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) President Maulana Fazlur Rehman had also announced last week that the opposition alliance had decided to move a no-confidence motion against the prime minister and would contact the PTI government's allies in the centre for this purpose.

In an apparent response to the opposition's repeated warnings to the government, Chaudhry, while addressing a gathering in Pind Dadan Khan today, said opposition members must return the "public money they acquired through corruption".

"Nawaz Sharif told a lie and left the country, and now his daughter is visiting courts on a daily basis while her father and brothers are not returning to the country," said the minister.

The minister accused Shehbaz Sharif of using delaying tactics in indictment proceedings against him. "Billions of rupees have been recovered from bank accounts of peons of sugar mills owned by Sharif brothers and the PML-N leaders have to face the court of law in this connection."

Castigating PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Chaudhry said the JUI-F believed it could topple the government by gathering students of seminaries. "You need to work hard, get public support and then bring about revolution. It requires a hard work to challenge any government and everyone does not have the guts to do that."

He said the politics of Bilawal Bhutto and Maryam Nawaz was on the decline. He referred to the two leaders, saying they must contest mayoral elections in Punjab to "determine their actual popularity".

He reiterated that opposition leaders would not be able to escape the accountability process.

He said the measures taken by Prime Minister Imran Khan would result in the provision of gas to most parts of Punjab, which were earlier deprived of the important resource in the tenure of Nawaz Sharif.

The minister claimed that Imran Khan was the first prime minister in the history of Pakistan who was taking practical measures to help the poor.

Chaudhry stressed that Imran Khan would once again emerge victorious in the general elections of 2023.

 

[Last Monetarist]

https://www.dawn.com/news/1675934/sanaullah-says-opposition-in-touch-with-more-govt-lawmakers-than-needed-for-no-trust-move

PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah on Saturday claimed that the opposition was in touch with "more than enough" government lawmakers required to "abolish" Prime Minister Imran Khan's vote of confidence in the parliament.

Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), the opposition alliance of which Sanaullah's party is also a member, is currently planning to move a no-confidence motion against the prime minister, who had won his vote of confidence from the National Assembly last year by securing 178 votes — six more than required.

While the opposition did not have enough numbers to oust the prime minister back then, Sanaullah is confident that the situation would be different this time.

Talking to the media in Lahore today, the PML-N leader said: "More people than are required to abolish their (government's) vote of confidence — their own people — are ready to leave them and in contact with us (the opposition) as well."

The PML-N leader said the government's own members were "frustrated" with it and no longer wished to conduct politics or contest next elections alongside it.

He said the leadership of the PML-N and other opposition parties would decide and announce whether a no-confidence move would be brought in the Punjab Assembly first or the Centre.

"The people who are with us are with us. Even if they have later talked about them (their talks) differently in front of the press, we don't have a grievance about it," Sanaullah said, possibly referring to the recent talks held between the PML-N and PML-Q leadership, following which PML-Q's Moonis Elahi had publicly assured the premier that he did not need to worry about the meetings.

Sanaullah said the opposition was in talks with the government's allies and "we have full trust there."

Questioning the government's continued stance that it faces no threat from the opposition, the PML-N leader said that if that was the case then why the number of ministries were being increased and development funds being doled out in different constituencies.

"This proves what they were saying [about us] was wrong ... with the people's prayers the no-confidence move will be successful."

He also said the opposition was not looking towards any "umpire's finger" — a reference to the establishment's support — and demanded that no "finger" should interfere in the political process. "Politics is the job of political parties," he added, stressing that all institutions should work within their constitutional limits.

"If all institutions did this, then it would not make a difference whether a presidential or parliamentary system was present in the country," Sanaullah said.

The PML-N lawmaker also lashed out at PM Imran's speech in Mandi Bahauddin, claiming that the premier was concerned with crushing dissent and its critics such as Mohsin Jamil Baig and the opposition instead of focusing on issues of law and order in the country.

Sanaullah also criticised the government for "failing to provide proof" in the accusations and cases registered against the opposition such as himself and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif.

PML-N Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb made similar comments as Sanaullah during a press conference in Lahore today.

"The nation has rejected you," she said while addressing the prime minister. "You will get to know how many of PTI's people are left with you in the no-confidence motion. As for these remaining few rented spokespersons, not a single one will be standing with you when you lose the seat [of power]."

Aurangzeb said the time had come for Prime Minister Imran to go home, predicting he would do so before the Pakistan Democratic Movement's long march towards Islamabad on March 23.

She also said the opposition's preparations and strategy for the no-confidence move were complete. "Today is the right time when the opposition and their own people are united and ready to send them home," she added.

 

[Bewal Express]

https://www.dawn.com/news/1675934/sanaullah-says-opposition-in-touch-with-more-govt-lawmakers-than-needed-for-no-trust-move

PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah on Saturday claimed that the opposition was in touch with "more than enough" government lawmakers required to "abolish" Prime Minister Imran Khan's vote of confidence in the parliament.

Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), the opposition alliance of which Sanaullah's party is also a member, is currently planning to move a no-confidence motion against the prime minister, who had won his vote of confidence from the National Assembly last year by securing 178 votes — six more than required.

While the opposition did not have enough numbers to oust the prime minister back then, Sanaullah is confident that the situation would be different this time.

Talking to the media in Lahore today, the PML-N leader said: "More people than are required to abolish their (government's) vote of confidence — their own people — are ready to leave them and in contact with us (the opposition) as well."

The PML-N leader said the government's own members were "frustrated" with it and no longer wished to conduct politics or contest next elections alongside it.

He said the leadership of the PML-N and other opposition parties would decide and announce whether a no-confidence move would be brought in the Punjab Assembly first or the Centre.

"The people who are with us are with us. Even if they have later talked about them (their talks) differently in front of the press, we don't have a grievance about it," Sanaullah said, possibly referring to the recent talks held between the PML-N and PML-Q leadership, following which PML-Q's Moonis Elahi had publicly assured the premier that he did not need to worry about the meetings.

Sanaullah said the opposition was in talks with the government's allies and "we have full trust there."

Questioning the government's continued stance that it faces no threat from the opposition, the PML-N leader said that if that was the case then why the number of ministries were being increased and development funds being doled out in different constituencies.

"This proves what they were saying [about us] was wrong ... with the people's prayers the no-confidence move will be successful."

He also said the opposition was not looking towards any "umpire's finger" — a reference to the establishment's support — and demanded that no "finger" should interfere in the political process. "Politics is the job of political parties," he added, stressing that all institutions should work within their constitutional limits.

"If all institutions did this, then it would not make a difference whether a presidential or parliamentary system was present in the country," Sanaullah said.

The PML-N lawmaker also lashed out at PM Imran's speech in Mandi Bahauddin, claiming that the premier was concerned with crushing dissent and its critics such as Mohsin Jamil Baig and the opposition instead of focusing on issues of law and order in the country.

Sanaullah also criticised the government for "failing to provide proof" in the accusations and cases registered against the opposition such as himself and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif.

PML-N Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb made similar comments as Sanaullah during a press conference in Lahore today.

"The nation has rejected you," she said while addressing the prime minister. "You will get to know how many of PTI's people are left with you in the no-confidence motion. As for these remaining few rented spokespersons, not a single one will be standing with you when you lose the seat [of power]."

Aurangzeb said the time had come for Prime Minister Imran to go home, predicting he would do so before the Pakistan Democratic Movement's long march towards Islamabad on March 23.

She also said the opposition's preparations and strategy for the no-confidence move were complete. "Today is the right time when the opposition and their own people are united and ready to send them home," she added.

All the Nooras said JT was the biggest Chore in Punjab and IKS ATM and today they are begging him for his support. [MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION] explain whats going on?

 

[MenInG]

Minister of Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Sunday that the opposition’s announcement to present the no-confidence motion against the ruling party is an “attempt at a bargaining chip for a fresh deal”.

Through his official Twitter handle, the minister asserted that the PTI and its coalition partners will thwart the opposition’s attempts to “evade accountability”, stating that corrupt politicians will not be given an National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO).

Qureshi's remarks were made in light of the opposition’s plan to introduce a no-confidence motion against the government, the latter claiming that the motion is 'gaining steam', with enough lawmakers from the ruling party on its side to pull it off and secret meetings taking place for the purpose.

Read: Opposition’s no-trust plan 'gaining steam'

Talking to the media after attending a court hearing in Lahore, PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah on Saturday claimed that the opposition had the support of "more than enough" government lawmakers required to make the no-trust motion successful.

The PML-N had also claimed that the Tareen group had conditionally offered its support to the opposition parties in return for the assurance of National and Punjab Assemblies’ tickets.

 

[MenInG]

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has advised Prime Minister Imran Khan to mend ties with the disgruntled leader of ruling PTI, Jahangir Tareen, amid opposition's efforts to oust the premier through a no-confidence vote.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Tuesday, Rashid, who is also a close confidante of the premier, said politicians “never shut their doors of talks” with their opponents.


He also cited an example of the recent historic meeting between the top leadership of PML-N and PML-Q leadership after a hiatus of 14 years.

“I hope Jahangir Tareen will act responsibly since he is a seasoned politician and in my personnel opinion there is no harm to engage him,” he remarked.

His statement comes amid reports that disgruntled group of PTI lawmakers led by Tareen is considering supporting the opposition in the no-trust move against the government.

According to sources, majority of the Tareen group’s members decided to enter the political arena with full force and support the opposition’s anti-government strategy.

Most members of the group suggested standing with the PML-N in the anti-government stance while those hailing from Jhang advised maintaining an independent status, the insiders said.

Rashid, while commenting on opposition’s no-trust move, said PM Imran would emerge victorious in this political battle and the opposition would face embarrassment like in the past.

“It is the job of the opposition parties to garner support of 172 MNAs in the National Assembly to pass the no-confidence motion but after failing to do so they will make excuses such as they were [pressured through] ‘phone calls’ or their members contracted coronavirus,” he quipped.

On rising street crimes in Karachi, the interior minister said government was ready to provide more personnel of Rangers to the Sindh government.

“If Sindh government made request as per the constitution we are ready to deploy Rangers even in police stations for maintenance of law and order in Karachi,” he added.

The minister also expressed concerns over deteriorating law and order situation in the metropolis saying it could have “adverse consequences”.

(With input from APP)

 

[Bewal Express]

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed has advised Prime Minister Imran Khan to mend ties with the disgruntled leader of ruling PTI, Jahangir Tareen, amid opposition's efforts to oust the premier through a no-confidence vote.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad on Tuesday, Rashid, who is also a close confidante of the premier, said politicians “never shut their doors of talks” with their opponents.


He also cited an example of the recent historic meeting between the top leadership of PML-N and PML-Q leadership after a hiatus of 14 years.

“I hope Jahangir Tareen will act responsibly since he is a seasoned politician and in my personnel opinion there is no harm to engage him,” he remarked.

His statement comes amid reports that disgruntled group of PTI lawmakers led by Tareen is considering supporting the opposition in the no-trust move against the government.

According to sources, majority of the Tareen group’s members decided to enter the political arena with full force and support the opposition’s anti-government strategy.

Most members of the group suggested standing with the PML-N in the anti-government stance while those hailing from Jhang advised maintaining an independent status, the insiders said.

Rashid, while commenting on opposition’s no-trust move, said PM Imran would emerge victorious in this political battle and the opposition would face embarrassment like in the past.

“It is the job of the opposition parties to garner support of 172 MNAs in the National Assembly to pass the no-confidence motion but after failing to do so they will make excuses such as they were [pressured through] ‘phone calls’ or their members contracted coronavirus,” he quipped.

On rising street crimes in Karachi, the interior minister said government was ready to provide more personnel of Rangers to the Sindh government.

“If Sindh government made request as per the constitution we are ready to deploy Rangers even in police stations for maintenance of law and order in Karachi,” he added.

The minister also expressed concerns over deteriorating law and order situation in the metropolis saying it could have “adverse consequences”.

(With input from APP)

Let JKT join the mafia. Let all these guys join hands.

 

[MenInG]

Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry accused the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Wednesday of trying to buy their lawmakers ahead of the potential no-trust move against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Addressing a press conference alongside State Minister for Information Farrukh Habib after a meeting of the Central Executive Committee, the federal minister said the no-confidence motion against the premier will fail.

In a reference to the meeting of PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, Fawad alleged Zardari and Shehbaz met in Lahore to discuss who will pitch in how much money to buy lawmakers.

Calling them “traders”, the minister said the opposition leaders offered money to three lawmakers, including a woman and minority lawmaker, to get their support for the no-confidence vote. Fawad said the government will not let horse trading take place, adding that it was kept abreast of the situation.

He challenged the opposition to bring a no-trust vote in 24 hours, saying, “You will see what will happen then.” Fawad also appreciated the party lawmakers for refusing the alleged offer from the opposition to sell their vote.

The minister said both leaders were facing money laundering cases in Lahore and Karachi, adding that they will go to jail. “Shehbaz is only out of the jail because the court is not hearing his case on a daily basis,” he said, adding that he will go to jail once the court started hearing his case daily.

PM’s visit to Russia

Speaking about Imran’s visit to Russia, Fawad said the prime minister took the party leadership into confidence over his visit to Russia.

“The prime minister’s visit to Russia is very important,” he said, adding that Pakistan will not join any camp. “The PM has made his foreign policy clear,” he said and added that “our aim is to take forward a balanced foreign policy”.

Fawad said the economy was heading in the right direction and the government will announce more packages to provide relief to the public.

 

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Opposition in fresh bid to rope in PML-Q

Fazl, Zardari hold separate meetings with Chaudhrys of Gujarat

LAHORE:
The city of Lahore was the venue of three back-to-back meetings on the opposition’s no-confidence motion plan, which started from a top-level huddle at the residence of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif and attended by the leadership of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F).

Later in the day, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who is also the president of the main opposition alliance, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), visited Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi of the PML-Quaid-e-Azam.

Hours later, the PML-Q, a major ally of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) at the Centre and in Punjab, met former president and Co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) for “consultation” on the prevailing political situation.

The most important meeting of the day took place at Shehbaz Sharif’s residence where the senior leaders of the PML-N, the PPP, and the JUI-F were present. The meeting aimed at zeroing in on the no-confidence motion.

The meeting was attended by PDM chief Maulana Fazl, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, PPP Co-chairman Asif Zardari, besides Yousuf Raza Gilani, Pervez Ashraf of the PPP, Saad Rafique, Rana Sanaullah, Ayaz Sadiq, Marriyum Aurangzeb of the PML-N and Maulana Asadur Rehman and Akram Durrani of the JUI-F.

A joint statement issued after the meeting, did not say about any timeline for the no-confidence move, except revealing that the meetings constituted a committee to decide when to table the motion. The opposition leaders said that the parties wanted to keep the timing as an element of surprise.

Though there was no firm deadline given by the opposition officially, if the statements of some PML-N leaders are to believe, it seems that the opposition was thinking about tabling the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan in around four weeks.

The meeting was followed by the two more bilateral meetings with the PML-Q leadership. According to a PML-Q official, Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi gave Zardari the right to decide on “a joint future course of action” in consultation with him.

It is stated that the only difference between the PPP and the PDM was on the timing of the motion, as the PDM wanted the motion tabled at the earliest, while the PPP wanted to bring it after its long march, which was beginning on February 27.

A PPP office-bearer said that huge capital had gone into preparing for the long march, therefore, the party could ill-afford to let go all its efforts down the drain. He added that the party wanted the long march reaching Punjab, before the move taken forward.

According to the PPP leader, there was another minor issue as to who would govern Punjab after a successful no-confidence motion. He said that the PPP had proposed that Punjab be given to the PML-Q whereas the PML-N was not ready to agree to the option.

Publically speaking, PPP MNA Shazia Marri said that organising the long march from Karachi to Islamabad was a big feat, adding that it would build momentum for the opposition’s overall anti-government drive.

“The no-confidence motion is PPP’s suggestion to begin with. Our leadership has said that even if the opposition wants to proceed with the no-confidence motion, the long march should be taken out,” Marri told a press conference in Lahore.

The joint statement of the PPP-PDM meeting said a committee comprising members of each party was being constituted to give a definitive date for the long march.

“The PPP, the PML-N, the PDM leaders have formed a committee comprising all opposition parties to determine the political and legal strategy and the timing of no-confidence motion against Imran Khan,” it read.

The joint statement further said that the leaders took a detailed look at the overall situation in the country and agreed that the entire Pakistan was in agreement to get rid of the present government as soon as possible.

“The scourge of inflation is unleashed upon the people and the brutality with which it continues unabated is unbearable and unacceptable,” it said.

“The continuous rise in prices of essential commodities, including electricity, gas, petrol, especially food items, has broken the back of the people, especially the poor and the daily-wage earners.”

It said that for the last three-and-a-half years, the government had plagued the country with oppressive direct and indirect taxes, consequently, destroying the economy and as a result of reckless policies and decisions, the value of the rupee fell drastically and there was historic rise in domestic and foreign debt.

The meeting expressed alarm over the fact that the atmosphere of national unity and solidarity in Pakistan was being severely damaged due to the government’s actions, adding that distrust was also building in the constitutional arrangement for resource allocation between the federation and its units, which was extremely concerning and damaging to the national interest.

The opposition stressed that it was united for the protection and promotion of federalism. It added that the government’s transgression of the limits set in the Constitution had now taken an authoritarian and fascist approach in which the latest black laws had been enacted through ordinances.

“The conspiracy of Peca [Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act Amendment Ordinance] laws seeks to make the media, political opponents and every individual, deaf, dumb, blind and tongue-tied,” the joint statement added.

“It is [a conspiracy] to collectively impose dictatorship on the whole of the country which is not only against the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution, especially the right to freedom of expression but also against the basic concept of national and international human rights and the principles of a democratic society,” the statement continued.

“We will challenge and block these unconstitutional, illegal and undemocratic measures at every legal forum”.

Later, PML-N leader Marriyum Aurangzeb announced at a press conference that her party had decided to challenge the PECA Amendment Ordinance and said that she along with Senator Azam Nazir Tarrar would file a petition “against this draconian law” in the Islamabad High Court (IHC).

She said that Prime Minister Imran Khan should be the first to be tried under the PECA amendment for “bad-mouthing and abusing opponents” and levelling unfounded allegation against them. “Imran Khan and his mouth pieces should seek forgiveness for their sins, in the little time they have in the office.”

About the flurry of meetings on the no-confidence in Lahore, Aurangzeb said that “the opposition had completed the numbers for the motion,” adding that “the power of the people would soon send this regime packing”.

She said that the number game was of paramount importance as their move was centred on mustering enough support. When asked whether the PML-N had been given the first right to the premiership, she said: “When the time will come, people will know.”

“The candidates for PM and CM Punjab posts would be decided through consultation with Nawaz, Shehbaz and Maryam Nawaz and all political parties. The names would be declared publicly and nothing would be done behind closed doors,” Aurangzeb added.

Asked further why the senior party leader Maryam Nawaz was absent in the recent meetings on fine-tuning the no-confidence motion plans, she said that PML-N was moving forward in consultation, so the impression that Maryam Nawaz was not on board was not correct.

Aurangzeb rubbished the allegation levelled by Information minister Fawad Chaudhry that the opposition parties tried to bribe three PTI MNAs. “No one is now ready to contest elections on their [PTI] ticket. Therefore, there is no need to offer them money.”

On the other hand, insiders said that the opposition parties had put forward a list of the members of treasury benches, who had assured the opposition parties of supporting the no-confidence motion. They added that the PML-N claims support of over 12 lawmakers, PPP around 6 and and JUI-F 2.

It was also stated that the Zardari had been entrusted with the responsibility to lead the opposition on the no-confidence motion plan. A PPP leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, refused to confirm the development, but said that the former president had been leading the opposition front since day one.

The PPP leader further said they “indeed have the assurances,” and that they had cross-matched the names to remove overlapping as well. He again declined to disclose the actual number, saying that it was not possible at this stage.

When asked whether there were any assurances from the PML-Q, he declined to give a direct answer. “We enjoy good terms with PML-Q and hope that PML-Q will extend their support for any pro-people move,” he said.

The Insiders said the no-confidence motion was final and that the formal announcement remained which would be made after ironing out a few minor undecided things. It was also stated that the opposition had agreed on Shehbaz Sharif’s name for the next prime minister.

Talks with Elahi

Fazl met the Chaudhry brothers at their residence and took them into confidence about the decision taken during the opposition parties meeting. Reportedly, Fazl asked the Chaudhry brothers to fulfil their assurance, which they gave him during his sit-in in Islamabad two years ago.

However, according to the PML-Q leader, there was no talk of any earlier promises. He said that during the meeting Fazl informed Elahi about the decisions taken during the earlier meeting and the existing number game.

He further said that Fazl was told that the PML-Q needed to consult its supporting lawmakers before deciding their final decision. The PML-Q leader claimed that the party had the support of 11 MNAs and 32 members in the Punjab Assembly (MPA).

Later, Zardari invited the PML-Q leadership over dinner. Those present at the meeting included Pervaiz Elahi, federal ministers Monis Elahi and Tariq Bashir Chema, and Salik Hussain and Shafy Hussain. Former prime minister Gilani of the PPP was also present during the meeting.

The PPP issued a statement after the meeting, saying that the participants discussed in detail the political situation in the country and other issues of mutual interest. It added that both the parties “agree to take decisions in consultation”.

In the current political scenario, Zardari and Elahi would work out a plan of action with mutual consultation, the statement said, adding that the two parties expressed full confidence in each other.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2345054/opposition-in-fresh-bid-to-rope-in-pml-q

 

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PML-Q reiterates support to govt

ISLAMABAD:
Federal Minister for Water Resources Moonis Elahi assured on Thursday National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser that PML-Q was an ally of the government and would stand by it in any political situation as it had confidence in the leadership abilities of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The minister belonging to PTI’s only coalition partner in the Centre and Punjab also cleared the air on opposition parties’ back-to-back meetings with PML-Q leadership, saying his party has not assured support to any opposition party on their no-confidence move against the premier.

The assurance from Moonis, son of Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi, has come days after he delivered a potentially fatal blow to the opposition hopes of ousting the prime minister through a no-trust motion when he assured PM Imran that his party made the connection with PTI to make it last.

In a telephonic conversation with the NA speaker, Moonis said that “his party was an ally of the government and would stand by it in any political situation”.

The official statement attributed to the PML-Q leader noted that “his party had not assured any party of the opposition to support their non-trust move against PM Imran Khan”.

Clarifying speculations making rounds following opposition parties’ meetings with PML-Q leadership, Moonis said that “meetings of PLM-Q leaders with the opposition leaders were being misinterpreted and that they were part of a political process.”

During the phone call, Moonis told Qaiser that the economic indicators were positive and the country was politically and economically stable, saying “his party had confidence in the leadership abilities of Prime Minister Imran Khan.”

Acknowledging the positive role of PML-Q leadership in national politics, Qaiser said the party had always taken decisions in the best national interest. He said that all political parties needed to work together to steer the country out of the challenges it was facing.

The speaker said that the country was on the path of development due to the economic policies of the present government led by PM Imran, adding that stability of democratic institutions in the country was essential for the progress and prosperity of the country. He said the premier had led the country on the path of economic development.

The statement noted that Moonis and Qaiser also discussed the current economic and political situation in the country besides issues of mutual interest during the call.

In less than two weeks, Moonis has poured cold water twice on the opposition parties’ hopes, who have been trying their best for roping in PML-Q in its efforts to zeroing in on the no-trust motion.

On both the occasions, Moonis left little to imagination about where PML-Q stands and, have, apparently, forced the opposition to come up with something else than merely relying on the government allies.

Apart from wooing the government allies, the opposition has been banking its support on the ruling party’s lawmakers that they would revolt against their party and support the opposition on no-confidence motion.

However, only time will tell if they would get any support from PTI MNAs or are left-red faced at the last minute as the opposition itself admits that the lawmakers were waiting for a signal from “State” – a tacit reference to establishment – before abandoning their party.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2345215/pml-q-reiterates-support-to-govt

 

[moghul]

Many MNA's were waiting for this moment, on sale now to the highest bidder.

 

[MenInG]

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said preparations were still under way for the opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement's (PDM) planned no-confidence move against the government.

The PDM had announced to bring a no-trust move against the PTI government on February 11 after a meeting of its constituent parties. It had said it would contact the PTI government's allies in the centre for this purpose which was followed by several meetings in the last few weeks between the opposition parties and PTI's allies.

Responding to a question, while addressing a press conference in Lahore with Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) president Sardar Akhtar Mengal, Shehbaz said that "preparation is under way" for the no-confidence motion and he could not provide a definite date on when it will be tabled.

He added that opposition parties, including the PDM's constituent parties and those not in the alliance such as the PPP, were all involved and playing their role and the media would be alerted first as soon as preparations were complete.

The PML-N president said there was "give and take" in politics and the finer details of the aftermath of a no-trust move's success were still being sketched out.

Shehbaz said the move was according to the wishes of the people who were praying for deliverance from the incumbent government and they had already given the "signal" for it.

Meanwhile, Mengal said that "homework [for the no-trust move] is complete to quite an extent."

The two leaders also touched upon Balochistan's issues with the PML-N president saying that the province had a right on the centre and its problems would have to be solved with sincerity. "Punjab will have to step forward and embrace them (smaller provinces)," he added.

Meanwhile, Mengal warned that Balochistan's issues were due to past neglect and "disappointment and hate" were increasing among the people as time passed.

He said that injustices even among a household left it scattered. "Those injustices turn into grievances which turn into hate which turns into rebellion," Mengal explained.

The BNP-M president said the next government would have to solve the province's issues in a political manner. "Balochistan's issue since the first day was a political one and it will be better to solve it through politicians. It will not be solved through guns or military cannons," he said.

Mengal said conflicts anywhere in the world were resolved through talks and Balochistan's just demands should be fulfilled.

He said the most important issue in the province was of missing persons, adding that the guilty should be presented in courts and the innocent should be released.

 

[MenInG]

The proverbial war of attrition over the number game in parliament between the government and the opposition seems to be intensifying with each passing day, as both the rival camps are laying claims to have the required strength to defeat each other’s move.

Minister for Energy Hammad Azhar, who on Saturday said that the opposition parties had failed to buy members of parliament in an effort to garner support for their no-trust move against the prime minister
"… some dealers increased the rate when persons (MPs) did not detach… even the new rate too did not serve the purpose (horse-trading)," the minister wrote on his Twitter handle.

Azhar said he heard that 'some dealers' had increased the rate to buy the MPs, who remained steadfast and loyal to their party, from their 'illegitimate income and stolen money’. He mocked the opposition for failing to trap in the MPs saying, "Even the new rate did not work."

During a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad asked the opposition to come to its senses, saying that some short-sighted people considered the “no-confidence motion” a “child’s play”.

“These rejected people are talking about no-confidence just to satisfy their whims, but they could not build any pressure on the government,” Rashid said. “The government is strong and will complete its constitutional term under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan,” he added.

Punjab government spokesperson Hassaan Khawar said that the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) had denied lending support to the opposition on the proposed no-confidence motion. Punjab Law Minister Raja Basharat said that government was in contact with the Jahangir Tareen group.

“The Chaudhry brothers are decent politicians and they will take a well thought-out decision. [Federal Minister] Monis Elahi and other leaders of the PML-Q have denied supporting the opposition on the no-confidence motion,” Khawar told reporters in Lahore.

Separately, talking to reporters during a friendly hockey match at the Ashfaq Nadeem Hockey Stadium, Law Minister Basharat said that the government was in contact with all its allies as well the disgruntled party leader Tareen. “Everyone is with the government,” he said.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Punjab President and former law minister Rana Sanaullah, on a query about the no-confidence motion, said the PML-N was optimistic about the success. “They [all opposition parties] are united at the moment,” he said, while responding to a question whether the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and other parties were united on the motion.

 

[Hassaan HS]

PM Imran meets PML-Q leadership in Lahore amid no-trust move

LAHORE:

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday arrived at the resident of PML-Q leaders to muster his key ally’s support amid opposition’s attempt to topple PTI-led government through a no-confidence motion which is likely to be tabled this month.

The insiders told The Express Tribune that PM Imran will inquire after the health of former premier and PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and discuss the overall political situation of the country in today’s meeting. The premier is currently in Lahore on a day-long visit to the Punjab capital.

The prime minister is reportedly accompanied by a delegation comprising Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, federal minister Hammad Azhar, commerce adviser Abdul Razak Dawood and PTI lawmaker Amir Dogar. PML-Q leaders including federal minister Moonis Elahi, Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi, Chaudhry Salik Hussain and others are also present.

PML-Q, which is the main coalition partner of the ruling PTI both in Punjab and at the Centre, has recently held several meetings with opposition parties including PPP, PML-N and others.

Pakistan Democratic Alliance (PDM), the anti-government opposition alliance, last month announced bringing a no-confidence motion against PM Imran.

Subsequently, PDM along with major opposition party PPP stepped up its efforts to garner support for no-trust motion.Apart from wooing the government allies, the opposition has been banking its support on the ruling party’s lawmakers that they would revolt against their party and support the opposition on no-confidence motion.

In a major development last month, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif after a hiatus of 14 years called on PML-Q leadership to seek their support for no-trust vote against PM Imran in National Assembly.

However, Federal Minister for Water Resources Moonis Elahi assured the PTI government that PML-Q was an ally of the government and would stand by it in any political situation as it had confidence in the leadership abilities of Prime Minister Imran.

The minister belonging to PML-Q also cleared the air on opposition parties’ back-to-back meetings with his party leadership, saying his party has not assured support to any opposition party on their no-confidence move against the premier.

It was revealed yesterday that PM Imran also spoke to estranged PTI leader Jahangir Tareen over the phone after a long hiatus and inquired after his health.

Speaking to a local TV channel, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi however downplayed the premier’s contact with the ailing disgruntled leader, saying PM Imran called his former close aide as a “goodwill gesture” after he fell ill.

According to the media reports, the premier telephoned Tareen before his departure to London, where he had flown to reportedly for medical treatment.

 

[MenInG]

PML-Q, a key ally of PTI-led government both at the Centre and in Punjab, has assured the prime minister of their full support to foil the opposition’s no-trust move, The Express Tribune learnt on Tuesday.

The statement comes after PM Imran Khan met with the top leadership of PML-Q including Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi at their residence in Lahore today.

According to a statement issued by the PML-Q following the meeting, Chaudhry brothers informed the premier about their recent meeting with Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif.

The PML-Q leaders told Shehbaz that if opposition’s bid to remove PM Imran foiled then their political future “would look bleak”, as per the statement. “What is the use of such a trick which has no chance of success?”

The PML-Q leadership assured PM Imran that the attempts of no-confidence motion were nothing more than a “myth”.

PM Imran reportedly inquired after the health of former premier and PML-Q chief Chaudhry Shujaat and discussed the overall political situation of the country in today’s meeting. The premier is currently in Lahore on a day-long visit to the Punjab capital.

The prime minister was accompanied by a delegation comprising Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, federal ministers Hammad Azhar and Fawad Chaudhry, commerce adviser Abdul Razak Dawood and PTI lawmaker Amir Dogar among others. PML-Q leaders including federal minister Moonis Elahi, Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi, Chaudhry Salik Hussain and others were also present.

The insiders added that the prime minister has also decided to meet other PTI government allies following his meeting with the PML-Q leadership. He will also meet MQM-P and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) leaders soon, they added.

Also read: PM Imran ‘inquires after estranged PTI leader Jahangir Tareen’

Moreover, PM Imran has also intensified contacts with the party lawmakers. During his visit to Lahore, the prime minister held a meeting with the elected PTI parliamentarians from four divisions of Punjab. Sources also said that the prime minister has taken charge of efforts to foil the opposition movement.

PML-Q has recently held several meetings with opposition parties including PPP, PML-N and others.

Pakistan Democratic Alliance (PDM), the anti-government opposition alliance, last month announced bringing a no-confidence motion against PM Imran.

Subsequently, PDM along with major opposition party PPP stepped up its efforts to garner support for no-trust motion.

Apart from wooing the government allies, the opposition has been banking its support on the ruling party’s lawmakers that they would revolt against their party and support the opposition on no-confidence motion.

In a major development last month, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif after a hiatus of 14 years called on PML-Q leadership to seek their support for no-trust vote against PM Imran in National Assembly.

However, Federal Minister for Water Resources Moonis Elahi assured the PTI government that PML-Q was an ally of the government and would stand by it in any political situation as it had confidence in the leadership abilities of Prime Minister Imran.

The minister belonging to PML-Q also cleared the air on opposition parties’ back-to-back meetings with his party leadership, saying his party has not assured support to any opposition party on their no-confidence move against the premier.

It was revealed yesterday that PM Imran also spoke to estranged PTI leader Jahangir Tareen over the phone after a long hiatus and inquired after his health.

Speaking to a local TV channel, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi however downplayed the premier’s contact with the ailing disgruntled leader, saying PM Imran called his former close aide as a “goodwill gesture” after he fell ill.

According to the media reports, the premier telephoned Tareen before his departure to London, where he had flown to reportedly for medical treatment.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2345858/chaudhrys-assure-pm-of-their-full-support-amid-no-trust-move

 

[Savak]

PML Q betrayed Musharraf in 2008. I hope IK has the sense not to take their word and take daily briefings from the ISI and IB as to what is going on exactly. The opposition i.e. PML N and PPP will leave to expense unturned to upset the equation.

 

[transparent opacity]

Chaudhrys move to soothe PM Imran’s nerves, say they don’t trust Sharifs

LAHORE: Feeling the political heat generated by the PPP’s long march and the opposition’s flurry of meetings with the ruling party’s allies and disgruntled members, Prime Minister Imran Khan rushed to Lahore on Tuesday to sit down with the Chaudhrys of the PML-Q and ensure they still supported him and his government in these tough times.

The PM also inquired after an ailing Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain, who not only assured Mr Khan of their “unflinching support” to the government, but also expressed their lack of trust in the “Sharifs, who ditched us in the past. We know them all, and do not trust them”.

The Chaudhrys’ residence has been a hub of political activities over the last month or so, hosting all those who matter politically, from PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif and PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari to Pakistan Demo*cratic Movement (PDM) head Maulana Fazlur Reh*man, all of whom hoped to win over the government ally for a possible no-trust move.

“Shehbaz Sharif (the PML-N chief) came to inquire after my health a few days ago and offered the chief ministership (of Punjab) to Ch Pervaiz Elahi (in exchange for voting against Imran Khan),” Ch Shujaat Hussain is reported to have told the prime minister. “However, we know them well and do not trust them. He had offered us the same slot (in the nineties), but backed off after winning the elections. The excuse was that his father did not agree to the proposal.

“Although he has offered it again, we don’t trust (him) and continue to stand by the government,” he assured the prime minister.

The elder Chaudhry, however, advised the PM to control inflation because the unrelenting price hike was now becoming unbearable for the masses.

Flanked by Chief Minister Usman Buzdar and a number of his cabinet colleagues, the PM tried to send out a message that he was not indifferent to the all-round misery. “My top priority now is to bring down prices so that the vast majority sees an improvement in their lives.”

The Chaudhrys appreciated the government’s decision to cut fuel prices and electricity rates, as well as the industrial package unveiled on Tuesday.

Mr Khan briefed the hosts about his recent visits to China and Russia.

The Chaudhrys, basking in the sunshine of their new-found political limelight, had delayed a return visit to Shehbaz Sharif, who had invited them to his place when he visited them last month.

The Chaudhrys had then promised to get in touch with the younger Sharif within two days to chalk up a date for the meeting, but kept procrastinating for a fortnight, apparently waiting for Mr Khan to show up at their place.

Both Prime Minister Imran Khan and the PML-Q leadership have had a love-hate relationship since the PTI came to power in 2018. The unease in their relationship delayed the induction of Chaudhry Moonis Elahi into the federal cabinet even though promises were made to them when the post-election arrangements were being worked out.

The prime minister, however, seems to have realised late in the day that he will have to keep humouring the PML-Q heavyweights to prop up his government in the face of an onslaught by a reinvigorated opposition.

Apart from the rendezvous with the Chaudhrys, Prime Minister Imran Khan met parliamentarians from Rawalpindi, Bahawalpur, Multan and Sahiwal divisions, a rarity when the sailing is smooth.

He asked the legislators to reach out to voters in the build-up to local bodies’ elections.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1677768/c...-pm-imrans-nerves-say-they-dont-trust-sharifs

 

[MenInG]

Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid on Wednesday has said that a no-trust move “shakes the foundation of a country” and isn’t an easy task.

The minister made the remarks during a function at the National Institute of Fire and Technology in Islamabad. He was referring to the opposition parties’ talks of moving a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The minister maintained that the opposition parties had failed in their agenda against the PTI government and that the no-trust motion being proposed by them still had a long way to go.

Speaking about the ongoing Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) anti-government march, Rashid reiterated that he remained unconcerned about it but said that the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) should reconsider their long march scheduled on March 23 as Pakistan Day celebrations will be underway.

 

[transparent opacity]

Opposition prepares draft for no-trust motion against PTI govt: sources

ISLAMABAD: The joint Opposition has expedited its efforts to topple the PTI-led government and prepared the draft for a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, said well-placed sources.

The sources privy to the matter said that more than 80 MNAs belonging to PPP, PML-N, JUI, ANP, Balochistan National Party- Mengal (BNP-M) and others have signed the draft of the motion.

The Opposition has also prepared the draft for a requisition notice to convene a National Assembly session to table the no-confidence motion against the premier.

Leader of the Opposition in the NA Shahbaz Sharif’s chamber has been alerted in this regard, the sources said, adding that the motion could be filed at any time.

“The leader of the House has lost the confidence of this house. There is political instability and uncertainty in the country and the foreign policy has totally failed,” the sources said, quoting the proposed draft of the motion.

“In view of this situation, the no-trust motion is being moved against the Leader of the House,” read the draft.

Nawaz gives green signal to table motion
The sources further said that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif has given a green signal to Shahbaz Sharif, Asif Zardari and Maulana Fazlur Rehman for tabling the no-trust motion against the government.

The deadlock among the opposition parties over the no-trust move has ended as the PDM has persuaded PPP for immediate elections in the country if they succeed to topple the PTI’s government, revealed the sources.

Earlier, PPP had been insisting that the PTI-led government should complete its constitutional 5-year term. MQM and PML-Q also did not agree on immediate polls in the country.

PM Imran to meet PML-Q’s Monis Elahi
Two days after a meeting with PML-Q’s Chaudhry brothers, Prime Minister Imran Khan will hold another sitting with Federal Minister Chaudhry Moonis Elahi today (Thursday), said the well-placed sources.

During the one-on-one meeting, matters’ relating to the current political situation, the Opposition’s proposed no-trust motion and the government’s strategy and other issues will be discussed in the meeting,” they said.

https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/9...raft-for-no-trust-motion-against-govt-sources

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that the draft of the no-trust vote against the PTI-led government has been prepared and the motion will be tabled in the National Assembly within the next 48 hours.

“We will move the no-confidence in a day or two... we have a support of majority [of lawmakers],” announced Fazl following a three-hour-long meeting with PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari in Islamabad on Thursday.

Responding to a question, he expressed hope that the allies of the PTI government might support the opposition’s no-trust vote to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan.

However, a joint statement issued following the meeting between the two opposition leaders did not mention any date for the no-trust vote.

The communiqué said that it was decided in the meeting that further consultation with the opposition parties will be held on the matter.

The official statement also said PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif also participated in the discussion via telephone and added that the final date for tabling the no-trust motion was to be decided in today’s meeting but it was deferred for a few days as the latter fell ill.

It added that the opinion of legal experts on the no-confidence motion has been sought and both the leaders also discussed the draft of the no-trust move.

On Thursday, opposition parties claimed that had managed to muster the support of enough lawmakers to oust the PTI-led government and they are expected to move a requisition for the National Assembly session on Friday (tomorrow) to move a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Sources said a nine-member opposition committee had completed its preparations to file the no-trust motion.

Talking to The Express Tribune, a PML-N leader, requesting anonymity, maintained that the opposition had around 180 members by its side. However, the party leader refrained from giving the exact figure.

The leader further said Maulana Fazl had been given the go-ahead by Zardari as well as the PML-N leadership to proceed with the no-confidence move.

 

[MenInG]

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday threw down the gauntlet to the opposition parties for bringing a no-confidence motion against his government, saying that he had confidence in the party’s lawmakers and homework was complete to defeat the opposition parties’ move.

While challenging the opposition parties that have long been threatening the government with long marches and no-trust motion, sources revealed, the prime minister had said that the opposition was more than welcome to test the waters by going ahead with their move to oust him.

In meetings with party’s lawmakers, the sources said, Imran, while discussing the government’s strategy about no-confidence motion, emphasised that “everything was fine” and that he had full confidence in the lawmakers of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The prime minister’s statement came against the backdrop of intense speculations that some of the ruling party parliamentarians were in contact with the opposition on the much-hyped no-confidence motion plans and were ready to jump ship.

In the absence of any official statement, senior PTI leader Senator Faisal Javed confirmed the prime minister’s meetings with MNAs. In the meetings, Javed said that Imran expressed “complete trust’ in the PTI lawmakers as well as those from government’s allies.

The senator chided the opposition when he seconded what Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry had said earlier that five-to-seven opposition lawmakers were in contact with the government and that the opposition would find it hard to show the majority when it tabled the no-confidence motion.

In the meetings, Javed said, Prime Minister Imran had been emphasising that all the members of the PTI were united and all the allies were with the government.

In response to a question, he added, the members had been assuring the prime minister that they would stand by the government and not go anywhere. “It is like ‘I believe in you’ and ‘we are part of PTI team’ moment in every meeting,” he said.

Meanwhile, Javed tweeted that Premier Imran would deliver a keynote address in Vehari on Sunday (today) and inform the public about the steps taken for their betterment as well as expose the “grand conspiracy” of the opposition against him.

His tweet suggested that Imran would speak about what was the purpose behind the no-confidence motion plans. “Big revelations are coming [and] the opposition will have to face failure again,” Senator Javed tweeted.

As the threat of a vote of no-confidence looms, Imran is expected to visit a major ally of the government, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), in three to four days. It is learned that the prime minister might visit the MQM-P’s Bahadurabad office during his visit to Karachi on March 9.

The meeting with the MQM-P’s top leadership is taking place on the heels of his visit to the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q) leadership amid opposition parties’ back-to-back visits to the government’s coalition partners in the recent weeks.

Read: Changing deadlines of no-trust move ‘face-saving’ tactic: Fawad

After silently watching for weeks, the PM became active and started meeting party lawmakers and allies when the opposition mounted pressure on the government and made it look like that the ruling party’s MNAs and allies were on the verge of openly supporting the opposition.

Though the government denies it, the recent announcement of slashing petrol, diesel and electricity prices by the prime minister was also seen as a move to defuse opposition’s pressure, address the allies’ concerns over skyrocketing inflation and get public opinion back on its side.

On different occasions, the allies found it difficult to support the government over runaway inflation but with the recent announcement, the allies’ tone has changed a bit and provided the government the much-needed space it wanted to move ahead.

On the other hand, sources in the opposition parties claimed that the no-confidence motion against the government was expected to be tabled in the National Assembly by next Tuesday. They said that draft was ready but the timing of presenting the motion was still being deliberated upon, hoping that this time around it would finally be submitted in the assembly secretariat.

 

[Hassaan HS]

No-trust motion to turn into 'motion of ease' for PM Imran Khan: Sheikh Rasheed

Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad has said that the no-confidence motion that the Opposition parties' coalition is trying to bring against the incumbent government will turn into a "motion of ease" for Prime Minister Imran Khan after its failure.

The statement came during Geo News programme Naya Pakistan as the interior minister challenged the Opposition to bring the no-trust motion against the PTI-led government.

"They have been shouting [about the no-confidence motion] for two months but they should finally convene the assembly session and table a requisition to introduce the no-trust motion."

"These people used to say that that they are not neutral but now even the Opposition is claiming to be neutral [...] Congratulations to them but nothing in this world is neutral," Rasheed said.

He said that defeat is the Opposition's fate, as he referred to the failure of a no-trust motion against former prime minister Benazir Bhutto by a 12 votes margin.

"They [Opposition] will lose with the same number of votes and the no-trust move will become a move of ease for Imran Khan," the minister said.

Rasheed went on to say that the Opposition doesn't have a future plan and that means they want to bring a "technocrat" government in the country.

If they get successful, it will create many problems for the country, he added.
It may be recalled that Defence Minister Pervez Khattak on Saturday claimed that over 15 Opposition members would go “missing” on the day the no-confidence motion is presented before the National Assembly.

Addressing a rally in his home district, the senior PTI leader claimed that the Opposition would face “embarrassment” when they would present the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan in the Parliament.

“Seats on the Opposition benches would remain empty on the day of the motion,” he predicted, adding that their motion would help them reassess their worth.At the same time, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Molana Fazlur Rehman and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif expressed satisfaction with Opposition's number game for no-trust move, sources said.

Fazl and Nawaz on Saturday expressed satisfaction over the Opposition's numbers to secure the no-confidence motion against the PTI government.

The Opposition leaders held discussions to move the no-trust motion during a telephonic conversation, sources privy to the matter had said.

According to sources, Fazl briefed Nawaz on the Opposition’s progress and the two leaders agreed to oust the incumbent government.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/403295-no...move-of-ease-for-pm-imran-khan-sheikh-rasheed

 

[Bewal Express]

Why the wait- Budha Sethi said months ago that IK would fall in Jan and now we are in March. The opposition need to show some balls and their motion.

 

[MenInG]

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday took the opposition to task over their steps to bring a no-confidence motion against him, warning them of “dire consequences” in case their endeavour failed.

“I am prepared to respond to them but I want to ask them, ‘are you prepared to face what I will do once the no-confidence move fails’,” he said while addressing a gathering in Punjab's Mailsi city.

The premier said that he would “fight off this gang till the last drop of his blood”.

He called opposition leaders a "gang of thugs fleeing accountability”, saying: "These thugs have been looting this country for the past 35 years."

He added: "These thugs have made a wealthy nation poor."

The nation, he said, continues to remain in the same state when such thugs unite to plunder the resources and take turns to do so."

PM Imran went on to say that such thugs start to make a joint effort to topple the government when any sort of accountability is initiated against them.

He further said that because of this “gang”, the Pakistani nation is today under debt. “A nation that cannot tell right from wrong can never uplift itself.”

Taking aim at opposition leaders, he said: “One that flees the country can never be its leader. In the past too, Nawaz Sharif fled Attock jail by forging lies.”

PM Imran said, “They have put up a show and this absconder and his daughter [Mariam Nawaz] then blame the armed forces.”

Never call Fazl 'Maulana'

Calling Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman “Fazlu”, PM Imran said: “I will never call him a Maulana and I urge him to rather think about his Hereafter.”

“Both, he and I are of the same age and we don’t know when either of us dies. So I will advise him to think about hereafter,” he advised the JUI-F leader.

“This man [Fazl] takes seminary students to the streets to fulfil his ‘interests’. The fact is the country doesn’t need a conspirer with him present here.”

He further told Fazl that he should “fear God on making money in the name of religion”.

New province

Turning his guns towards the PML-N president, Premier Imran said: “If someone wants to know Shehbaz Sharif’s reality, they should bring Maqsood chaprasi forth.”

“I have never bowed to anyone and will not let my nation bow to anyone as long as I am alive,” he said.

According to the prime minister, the inflation of today is still less than what it was in the past, during the Pakistan Peoples Party's regime.

On the occasion, PM Imran also announced allocating another Rs500 billion for South Punjab and table a constitutional amendment in the National Assembly soon to give the region the status of a province.

 

[MenInG]

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari conceded on Sunday that the opposition’s no-trust move against the PTI-led government was not an easy task and that he could not guarantee its success but added that even if the no-confidence vote in the National Assembly failed, he will continue his struggle against “this puppet regime”.

He expressed these views while holding a press conference at the residence of Nadeem Afzal Chan – a meeting that marked Chan’s return to the PPP folds.

Chan had served as an adviser to Prime Minister Imran Khan owing to which his return was being dubbed as a big blow to the PTI-led government at the Centre. Interestingly his younger brother, Waseem Chan distanced himself from his brother’s move, stating in a video message, that his brother’s decision to join PPP was purely his own and that his family was not onboard on the move.

Bilawal, in today’s news conference, said that no confidence motion was an uphill task however it was a risk worth taking. He said that waiting for guarantees means leaving people at mercy of “this tyrant and unjust regime”. In a veiled criticism to PDM’s decision of long march on Islamabad and present en-masse resignations, he said that no-confidence motion was the only move to bring this government under an immense pressure, even forcing them to reach out to their coalition partners. He said that they had from the day one proposed a two-pronged strategy of not only fight it out in parliament but also taking it to streets to allow people to express their sentiments against the government.

The PPP chief said that they can bring no-confidence motion in aid of those from treasury benches, who have assured their support to all the three political parties in opposition camp but even that he said did not guarantee any success. However, he added, if they have the support of the coalition partners, their chances of success in that case were a “near certainty”. He said in politics, every vote was important, and politicians try to secure as many votes prior to election as possible.

Furthermore, he also indicated that it was important to consider bringing no-confidence motion against both National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser and Prime Minister Imran Khan.

He said Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Asif Ali Zardari and Shehbaz Sharif will soon hold a meeting to decide on the timeline of no-confidence vote.

When asked about neutrality of establishment, he said that establishment has historically never been neutral however in coming few days, they will get to know it for a fact if the establishment has actually become neutral or not, which in a way meant that if opposition managed to succeed in no-confidence motion, opposition will term establishment as neutral, however if the opposition failed, then establishment will be blamed for their continued support for the PTI regime.

To a question about history of no-confidence motion’s failures including the one moved against his late mother Benazir Bhutto, the then prime minister of Pakistan, he interestingly said that the no-confidence motion moved against his mother, was undemocratic while this time around their move was very much democratic.

To another question of PML-N’s accusation on him of being selectors new choice, Bilawal said that to his knowledge they had not said such a thing, but when pressed again by the reporter, he mused that don’t try to pitch opposition parties against each other, all opposition parties were out for a “noble cause”. He said that every political party can be termed as ‘selected’ – a euphuism for being nurtured and supported by establishment – and their history stands as testament to that, but only his party cannot be blamed for being selected.

He said they have defeated PTI before during Senate election in National Assembly and they will surely do it again during the no-confidence motion. He reiterated that PM Imran should either resign or dissolve his assemblies and if he did not do so, then they will launch a “constitutional attack” on him upon reaching Islamabad.

Bilawal welcomed Chan back to PPP family, saying Chan in his heart had never forsaken his party.

Chan, thanked Bilawal and PPP leadership for having him back in the PPP family. He termed joining PTI as a mistake stating that there were pressures upon him and his family owing to which he had to make that choice.

His brother Waseem Chan, in a video clip, stated that it was Nadeem’s personal decision and that his brothers and his father were not onboard. He said his family was not with him on this decision. He said that they have PTI’s mandate that they will stand by PTI and Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Interestingly Bilawal, back when Nadeem parted ways with PPP to join PTI, had said that Nadeem Afzal Chan was never an ideological worker.

Express Tribune

 

[Bewal Express]

When this clown speaks no one listens. The only decent thing he has done is to humiliate the Nooras

 

[MenInG]

Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday directed his party's lawmakers not to leave the country ahead of the no-confidence motion against the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Sources quoted Shehbaz as saying that National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser was "conspiring" to send PML-N parliamentarians abroad by including their names in foreign trips.

The PML-N president, the sources said, has barred all MNAs not to become a part of such visits and ensure their presence in the country since the no-confidence motion was about to be tabled in the lower house.

PML-N Spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, while confirming the development, reasoned that the members were barred as they do not want to travel abroad on the expense of the masses, who are already battling rising inflation.

She said that people were forced to starve due to inflation, unemployment but the government was planning unnecessary foreign trips. "Wasting millions of rupees in these visits is nothing but corruption and robbery," she added.

Marriyum further said that ‘sensible’ Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members would also refuse to be a part of these visits.

Sources in the opposition parties claimed that the no-confidence motion against the government was expected to be tabled in the National Assembly by March 8 or 9.

They said that draft was ready but the timing of presenting the motion was still being deliberated upon, hoping that this time around it would finally be submitted in the assembly secretariat.

Prime Minister Imran Khan has come down hard on the opposition parties for bringing a no-confidence motion against his government, saying that he had confidence in the party’s lawmakers and homework was complete to defeat the opposition parties’ move.

While challenging the opposition parties that have long been threatening the government with long marches and no-trust motion, sources revealed, the prime minister had said that the opposition was more than welcome to test the waters by going ahead with their move to oust him.

In meetings with party’s lawmakers, the sources said, PM Imran, while discussing the government’s strategy about no-confidence motion, emphasised that “everything was fine” and that he had full confidence in the lawmakers of the PTI.

The prime minister’s statement came against the backdrop of intense speculations that some of the ruling party parliamentarians were in contact with the opposition on the much-hyped no-confidence motion plans and were ready to jump ship.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/234671...d-not-to-leave-country-ahead-of-no-trust-vote

 

[MenInG]

Prime Minister Imran Khan, while reiterating that opposition parties were more than welcome to test the water with their no-confidence motion against his government, on Monday directed Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak to bring disgruntled members back into the party’s fold.

Sources said that the prime minister, who chaired the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) core committee meeting, assured the party that there was nothing to be worried about as “there is no threat to the democratic government”.

Surprisingly, the no-confidence motion has put everything on the back burner, including the weekly federal cabinet meeting. Noticeably, the premier has lately been so busy in turning the tables on the opposition that he has once again postponed the federal cabinet’s meeting – making it the third consecutive Tuesday without having to hear what the cabinet has to collectively say in these testing times.

While dispelling the impression that the opposition parties were on the verge of making their no-trust move successful, the premier repeated in the core committee meeting that he has confidence in the party’s lawmakers. The 'homework' was complete to defeat the opposition parties’ move and the “agenda of thieves [opposition parties] would be made unsuccessful”.

Chiding the opposition parties in the meeting, sources said, the premier was of the view that those running away from their cases would not be able to bring “revolution” and added that they, however, were free to table the no-confidence motion against him.

The statement comes on the heels of his warning to the opposition to fear his wrath when their move against his government fails.

The directions to the Sindh governor and the defence minister for contacting disgruntled members have come after it emerged that PML-N has made a contact with PTI leader Aleem Khan who was scheduled to visit estranged PTI leader Jahangir Khan Tareen’s residence ahead of the opposition parties’ no-confidence motion against PM Imran.

The souring of ties between the PTI leadership and the disgruntled members have reached the point where it has been said that Aleem Khan has been busy meeting over two dozen members for the past few weeks and would be discussing options and strategies regarding Punjab and the Centre in the meeting with the Tareen group tonight.

The government has been walking a tightrope for the past several weeks and with mounting pressure from the opposition parties, PM Imran was recently forced to significantly slash petrol, diesel, and electricity prices.

In addition, the promise of making South Punjab a separate province has resurfaced and the premier has announced to soon submit a constitutional amendment in the National Assembly.

The failure of his ex-accountability czar to conclude or even bring corruption cases against the opposition leadership to conclusion has severely jolted the ruling party’s mantra of accountability and recovery of “looted money” from ex-rulers standing trial in corruption cases.

Meeting after meeting are taking place for the past few weeks in both government and opposition camps to envisage defeating the other side.

The flurry of activity in both camps has increased the political temperature in the power corridors, which has further increased by PPP’s long march which is about to enter the federal capital.

Meanwhile, PPP’s leader Khursheed Shah, who had recently hinted that the no-trust motion would be submitted in the assembly when the PPP long march enters Islamabad, met JUI-F and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Monday to discuss modalities of the motion.

Just like the government, the statement issued after the Shah-Fazl meeting stated that “homework is complete [and] the motion would soon be presented”. The statement also demanded PM Imran to resign and “have mercy on the nation and the country”.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2346831/no-trust-threat-takes-its-toll-on-pm-imran

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Is US behind no-trust move against Imran?

Is it true and does the US still have such capability of affecting regime change in Pakistan?

The PTI government is increasingly promoting a narrative that the international establishment, presumably the US, is behind the current move of the Opposition i.e. no-confidence motion (NCM).

Is it true and does the US still have such capability of affecting regime change in Pakistan? Some events below will contextualise why PTI supporters are promoting this narrative. The PTI government has failed to break the ice with the current US Admin since President Biden's election campaign when the then MOFA, a former Pakistani ambassador in Washington and certain Pakistani community leaders were openly campaigning for President Trump's re-election. It was a tactical mistake by the PTI government already setting a stage for the Biden Admin to look at the PTI government through a negative prism.

Then the infamous call was not made to PM by President Biden which left the PTI government bitter towards the US Admin. The PTI government boycotted the "Democracy Conference" called in and presided over by the Biden Admin.

The government also failed to put forth any cogent reason for the boycott except linking the move with ostensibly balancing Chinese concerns. It would have been better for the PTI government to join the Conference as a confident democratic polity and asserted its stance of any presumed US hypocrisy on democracy.

The US withdrawal pulled out the last leverage the PTI government enjoyed since its inception. This factor bolstered the feeling in Washington that the Biden Admin may no longer need the active support of the PTI government in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Imran Khan of late undertook a controversial Russia visit. The timing was highly controversial. "It was perceived as visibly anti-US no matter how hard the PM tried to balance it. When the whole world, particularly the US and Europe, were against the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the PM Imran was in Moscow – an optically poor move at the best", said an observer.

Then what the MOFA and the PTI government did to neutralise the pro–Russian perception was already seen as least successful. The PTI government tried to balance by not joining condemnation of Russia and abstained in UNGA while making statements that implicitly disapprove invasion. It made the government appear on the wrong side of the US Admin-led international consensus, still. The perception of hard lean on Russia is the last thing the PTI government wants. In other words, the PTI government has become an unwitting victim in the resurgent Cold War against Russia.

Additionally, the usual bridge between the PM and then US Admin, i.e. the Trump Admin, was not available this time. The Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman of Saudi Arabia was believed to be unhappy with Biden Admin's hue and cry over the Khashoggi episode, hence his distance with President Biden.

This is despite good ties of Pakistani establishment with the US establishment, including the Pentagon and the CIA. And despite establishment acting as smoother for relations, it failed to prevail over frostiness between the PM Imran and President Biden.

Enter the Opposition: The PMLN supremo Nawaz Sharif has good ties with President Biden which have developed over the years. President Biden, being a veteran politician, also had a good liaison with the then President Asif Ali Zardari. He is now being lobbied hard for Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. The new US Ambassador to Pakistan, Donald Blome, an old Pakistani hand of the State Department, also worked in the past in Islamabad and is a friend of Bilawal Bhutto.

Against this backdrop, the relations of PTI government with the Biden Admin could not thrive. Nor it automatically proves the conspiracy theory that the Biden Admin seeks to, or can remove Imran Khan’s government. The US has lost such capability for regime change in Pakistan a long time ago.

The proposed no-confidence motion by the Opposition if succeeds will be mainly an outcome of domestic drivers: the PTI’s government foreign policy and economic policies are not the main reason galvanising Opposition and PTI dissidents.

But the PM's radical political policies caused a backlash within the PTI and cornered the Opposition. The Opposition feared for political survivability; NAB's alleged accountability witch hunt; nightmare prospect if PM gets another five-year term; and opportune timing stemming from inflation and misgovernance were also factored into the thinking of Opposition.

On the other hand, the PM's alleged non-political behaviour treating every PTI member as a dispensable commodity led to defection and groupings within the party. Since the empowering factor behind the Opposition's NCM is not the number of the Opposition MNAs, but the number of PTI dissidents which encouraged the Opposition to launch the NCM.

The narrative of the US being behind the no-confidence motion is systematically being promoted to make the PM a political martyr for "defying the US" and is driven largely by a populist streak of the PTI. But the main factors behind the NCM are domestic.

Jan Achakzai is a geopolitical analyst, a politician from Balochistan and an ex-adviser to the Balochistan government on media and strategic communication. He tweets @Jan_Achakzai

https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/939448-is-us-behind-no-trust-move-against-imran

 

[Stewie]

Unfortunately they do. They have bought politicians in every country who do their bidding

 

[MenInG]

Former senior minister of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, Abdul Aleem Khan, along with a group of like-minded parliamentarians, announced on Monday that he would be joining the estranged faction of the ruling party led by Jahangir Khan Tareen.

Aleem made the announcement at Tareen’s residence in Lahore after an important meeting of the group held to discuss the no-trust motion announced by the joint opposition. Speaking to the media, Aleem said that he contacted over 40 parliamentarians of the ruling party during the past four days. “We all have teamed up in the last bid to strengthen the party. The PTI does not belong to an individual but it belongs to all of us. We will jointly make all decisions over the no-trust motion,” he said.

The former senior minister pointed out that Tareen, who is currently seeking medical treatment in London, had played an active role in bringing PTI into power. But he was ignored by the party for unknown reasons, he added.

He also said that many PTI leaders are still unaware of the reason why this happened. “All those people who worked alongside Prime Minister Imran Khan for Naya Pakistan have been sidelined and others surrounded the leader when the party came into power. There is no answer to why this happened,” he lamented.

`Aleem said that he would not have been disheartened if the popularity of the PTI was growing. There were strong concerns brewing among the ranks of party workers and supporters about the government’s performance in Punjab, he added.

“I did not support the PTI for Punjab’s chief ministership but had hope in Imran Khan. I enjoy better facilities than entitlement of the chief minister,” he further said while responding to media queries.
The meeting was attended by provincial ministers Nauman Langrial, Ajmal Cheema, MPAs Lala Tahir Randhawa, Salman Naeem, Khurram Leghari, Abdul Hai Dasti, Aslam Bharwana, Zawar Hussain, Saeed Nawani, Bilal Warraich, Amin Chaudry and Qasim Langah.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Imran Khan chaired a meeting of the PTI’s core committee to review the current political situation in the country. The premier reiterated that opposition parties were welcome to test the waters with their no-trust motion against his government and directed Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak to bring disgruntled members back into the party’s fold, including Aleem and his associates.

He went on to assure the party leaders that there was nothing to be worried about as there is no threat to the government. ‘Situation hurtling out of hand’On the other hand, PML-Q senior leader and Speaker Punjab Assembly Pervez Elahi has warned the PTI-led government that it was “fast losing control” over political situation as opposition parties were claiming that they had achieved the support of enough lawmakers required to de-seat Prime Minister Imran through a no-confidence vote.

He made the remarks in a meeting with the Punjab government ministers where he advised its coalition partner, PTI, that it was need of the hour to take “big political decisions,” sources privy to the development told The Express Tribune on Monday. “The prevailing political situation requires the government to move forward and make major political decisions… because whoever takes a decision first has the upper hand in politics,” the seasoned politician was quoted as saying in the meeting.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2346842/disgruntled-aleem-khan-joins-tareen-faction

 

[MenInG]

In a significant development, opposition parties have “finalised and approved” draft of the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government.

The development came as Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) President Maulana Fazlur Rehman and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif visited the Zardari House in Islamabad on Monday to hold a "delegation-level" meeting with Pakistan Peoples Party Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari and other leaders of the party.

One of the legal minds of the opposition party present at the meeting revealed to The Express Tribune that the law experts fed the opposition leaders with possibly all legal aspects and requirements of the vote of no-confidence in the National Assembly. The sources in the opposition parties said the draft was ready but the decision whether to table the no-confidence motion against the prime minister or the National Assembly speaker would be taken at the last moment.

The opposition has long been accusing the speaker of not running the house impartially and always helping the treasury bulldose the legislative business. “The agreement has been reached [and] the announcement will be made at an appropriate time,” a key leader of the opposition revealed to The Express Tribune. “The draft was approved by all opposition parties,” he said, requesting anonymity.

To a question what was the final number the opposition has to show to gain simple majority in the National Assembly, the leader preferred to say only one word: “enough”. For the past few weeks, the opposition parties have upped the ante against the PTI-led government and since then the topic of removing the prime minister or NA speaker through the no-trust motion has gripped the country and left everyone on their toes.

The frequent meetings among leaders of the opposition parties and their decision to approach the government’s allies raised the political temperature to the extent that the government was forced to announce some popular measures to keep the allies as well as the public opinion at their side.
The move coupled with the PPP’s long march was so strong that the Prime Minister himself had to come on the forefront to address grievances of his party lawmakers and the allies’ reservations on the runaway inflation, which has grievously been hurting the popularity of the ruling party and the allies.

To counter the opposition, PM Imran was forced to visit his allies, hold public rallies, announce development schemes and even resort to name calling — all this at the cost of cancelling the federal cabinet’s meeting thrice that the PTI government proudly held every Tuesday and often took credit of holding more cabinet meetings than the total number of meetings held in previous governments’ tenures.

Though the government managed to get favourable statements from PML-Q’s Moonis Elahi, who has been given the portfolio of water resources, the newly-built alliance of estranged PTI leaders — Jahangir Khan Tareen and Aleem Khan — has added enormous pressure on the ruling party and the allies because the combined number of the disgruntled members could well go beyond the total number of the PML-Q votes.

In the meeting at the Zardari House, Fazl and Shehbaz were accompanied by PML-N leaders Ahsan Iqbal, Rana Sanaullah, Khawaja Muhammad Asif, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq, Khawaja Saad Rafique, Marriyum Aurangzeb and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi. From the PPP, Syed Naveed Qamar, Murtaza Wahab, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Yousuf Raza Gilani and Syed Khursheed Shah were present at the meeting.

Before the meeting, PPP’s leader Khursheed Shah, who had recently hinted that the no-trust motion would be submitted in the assembly when the PPP long march enters Islamabad, met JUI-F and PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman to discuss about finalizing modalities of the motion.

Just like the government, the statement issued after Shah-Fazl meeting stated that “homework is complete [and] the motion would soon be presented”. The statement also demanded PM Imran to resign and “have mercy on the nation and the country”. Meanwhile, legal minds of opposition parties have begun to put forth input on the prospects of the ambitious vote of no-confidence against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The final date for initiating the process of vote of no-confidence will be announced by opposition leaders Shehbaz Sharif, Asif Ali Zardari and Molana Fazal ur Rehman soon, he added. Another participant in the meeting revealed that one section within opposition leadership insisted that the events related to March 23 as well as the OIC meeting should not be disturbed in the national interest. “If the process starts in this week, the NA speaker may take two weeks to summon the session for this purpose,” he further stated.

It was also learnt that opposition leadership is fully confident that they have the majority of members to make the no-trust move successful. An opposition lawmaker claimed that a federal minister may also join the opposition move in the next couple of days. Likewise, JUI-F has been active to bring a vote of no-confidence move in Balochistan as well.

Political analysts believe that the biggest dilemma for the present regime is that powerful circles have remained neutral.

Meanwhile, an estranged leader of the ruling party suggested the opposition that the no-confidence move should be initiated in the Punjab Assembly against Chief Minister Usman Buzdar first.

The opposition has planned to bring a no-confidence move against the PM, Punjab CM and the National Assembly speaker.

 

[transparent opacity]

PM Imran 'ready' for any opposition move

RAWALPINDI:
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday warned the opposition that "he was ready for them" as his premiership faces the threat of no-confidence move by opposition parties.

"Whatever they plan, I am ready for them," said the premier as he addressed a ceremony held at Fatima Jinnah University on International Women’s Day.

The premier reiterated that he was fighting a jihad for justice.

The PM’s remarks come in light of the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s (PDM) draft of the no-trust vote against the PTI-led government set to be tabled in the National Assembly.

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, on March 7, furthered that every promise and slogan that Prime Minister Imran Khan made before coming to power turned out to be “false”, and gave him 24 hours to resign and dissolve the National Assembly (NA) so that fresh general elections could be held.

In light of the motion, PTI has swung into action to foil the opposition’s bid to topple the federal government as it chalked out a strategy against the move.

Sources privy to the development said that National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser chaired a meeting of the key federal ministers in Islamabad, where it was decided that treasury benches lawmakers would skip the NA session if the opposition tabled the no-trust vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

“As long as I am alive I will fight for my country”, PM Imran stated, reaffirming his commitment to continue the fight against the "mafia" in order to bring them under the ambit of the law.

The premier stated that Pakistan’s willingness to accept corruption and unjust politicians was not just damaging in the short term but also set a precedent where people “do not work hard but instead rely on corrupt means of making money”.

Referencing the United States and China, the premier stated that rich countries were successful because they maintain strict rules of law.

“China has jailed over 450 ministers for corruption, and this is what has made them prosperous”.

PM Imran furthered that implementing a strict rule of law was instrumental to “ensuring human rights across the board and creating a system that helps the common man”.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2346971/pm-imran-ready-for-any-opposition-move

 

[transparent opacity]

Opposition submits no-trust motion against PM Imran

A delegation of senior opposition lawmakers submitted the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan with the National Assembly Secretariat on Tuesday, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Auragzeb said.

The confirmation from her came after a delegation of opposition lawmakers, including Rana Sanaullah, Ayaz Sadiq, Shazia Marri and Marriyum Aurangzeb, had reached Parliament House in Islamabad.

Aurangzeb said National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser was not present in his office which is why the document was submitted with the secretariat.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and PPP co-chair Asif Ali Zardari are going to hold an important joint press conference shortly to announce "decisions" regarding the no-confidence motion against the government, according to a statement issued by the PML-N.

Maulana Fazl had announced the alliance's decision to move a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan on February 18, saying that the PDM would reach out to the PTI's allies.

Fazl had said at the time that the opposition alliance had not yet decided whether they would bring the no-confidence motion against National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser as well, adding that consultations within the opposition parties as well as with the legal team were underway.

Since then, Lahore has been abuzz with many political meetings — between opposition parties as well as the PTI and its allies.

Last week, Maulana Fazl had claimed that the coming days were crucial as the opposition parties would take a final decision regarding submitting a vote of no-confidence motion against the government or requisitioning the session of parliament.

Claiming that opposition parties have the numbers required for the success of the no-confidence motion, he had said they had been trying to get the support of more than 180 members in the 342-member lower house of parliament.

In order to make the no-confidence motion against the prime minister successful, the joint opposition requires the support of 172 MNAs. For the success of the vote of no-confidence motion against the speaker or the deputy speaker, a simple majority of the members is required. The voting on the motion against a speaker or deputy speaker is conducted through a secret ballot whereas an open vote by division is required for the similar motion against the prime minister.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1678940/opposition-submits-no-trust-motion-against-pm-imran

 

[Colorblind Genius]

Opposition submits no-trust motion against PM Imran

A delegation of senior opposition lawmakers submitted the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan with the National Assembly Secretariat on Tuesday, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Auragzeb said.

The confirmation from her came after a delegation of opposition lawmakers, including Rana Sanaullah, Ayaz Sadiq, Shazia Marri and Marriyum Aurangzeb, had reached Parliament House in Islamabad.

Aurangzeb said National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser was not present in his office which is why the document was submitted with the secretariat.

Meanwhile, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and PPP co-chair Asif Ali Zardari are going to hold an important joint press conference shortly to announce "decisions" regarding the no-confidence motion against the government, according to a statement issued by the PML-N.

Maulana Fazl had announced the alliance's decision to move a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan on February 18, saying that the PDM would reach out to the PTI's allies.

Fazl had said at the time that the opposition alliance had not yet decided whether they would bring the no-confidence motion against National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser as well, adding that consultations within the opposition parties as well as with the legal team were underway.

Since then, Lahore has been abuzz with many political meetings — between opposition parties as well as the PTI and its allies.

Last week, Maulana Fazl had claimed that the coming days were crucial as the opposition parties would take a final decision regarding submitting a vote of no-confidence motion against the government or requisitioning the session of parliament.

Claiming that opposition parties have the numbers required for the success of the no-confidence motion, he had said they had been trying to get the support of more than 180 members in the 342-member lower house of parliament.

In order to make the no-confidence motion against the prime minister successful, the joint opposition requires the support of 172 MNAs. For the success of the vote of no-confidence motion against the speaker or the deputy speaker, a simple majority of the members is required. The voting on the motion against a speaker or deputy speaker is conducted through a secret ballot whereas an open vote by division is required for the similar motion against the prime minister.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1678940/opposition-submits-no-trust-motion-against-pm-imran

Pakistan has more enemies and back stabbers within its own home, than any other country in the world.

A large portion of the public and their elected officials are the worst enemies of their own.

Let this motion pass and Fazlur Rehman become the PM.
Who knows if THATS the kind of happiness, our people are looking for?

 

[MenInG]

Major opposition leaders including PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman and PPP leader Asif Ali Zardari addressed the media after submitting the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan in National Assembly on Tuesday.

“This government has inflicted unprecedented damage on country’s economy during its almost four years in power,” said Shehbaz at the start of the joint presser while explaining the reason as to why opposition submitted the no-confidence motion against PM Imran.

“Inflation has touched historic highs… the lives of masses have been made miserable by ‘selected’ prime minister.”

He also lashed out at the premier for publicly criticising EU envoys at his recent address. “We have a huge trade balance with EU and America and premier’s address could damage it.”

The PML-N president also rubbished the premier’s allegations that opposition’s attempt to topple his government was part of the “international conspiracy”. “I don’t think there could be a more stupid and illogical allegation than this,” he said.

Also read: No-trust threat takes its toll on PM Imran

Shehbaz said the “political victimisation” of opponents by PM Imran in the guise of accountability was also one of the reasons that opposition decided to oust the premier.

Maulana Fazl

Speaking on the occasion, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who also heads the anti-government opposition alliance PDM, said, “He [PM Imran] tried to promote western agenda in Pakistan through NGOs… I had said earlier that he [Imran Khan] was agent of some foreign elements”.

“We rejected the results of 2018 elections and termed them rigged... we did not compromise on our stance that the nation’s mandate was stolen.”

The JUI-F chief said their movement against the “selected rulers” has vindicated their stance regarding the rigged elections.

He also agreed with Shehbaz’s view that the incumbent government has destroyed the country’s economy, saying that “this is the reason that no foreign investor is willing to invest in Pakistan”.

“We have submitted the no-confidence motion and his [PM Imran] days are numbered and no rhetoric could save him now.”

Fazl said he never trusted PM Imran’s pre-election promises of providing millions of jobs and low-cost houses. “But now the people have also realised that his all promises were fake.”

The JUI-F chief said no one had criticised the western policies more than him but he did not want to fight with anyone and wanted cordial ties with all countries.

“We are confident that this no-confidence motion will succeed and nation will soon get rid of these rulers.”

“We all are political and democratic forces… we want all institutions to function within their constitutional boundaries so that no allegations of political meddling arises in the future,” the JUI-F chief added.

Also read: Absolutely no NRO till I’m alive: PM Imran

He said that all opposition parties have sorted out most of the matters if PM Imran was removed through no-trust vote.

“The decision to select next candidate of prime minister will be taken with mutual consensus,” said Shehbaz while responding to a question about the opposition’s future strategy if no-trust move succeeded.

Asif Zardari

Speaking on the occasion, former president Asif Ali Zardari said all opposition parties had agreed that no single party alone could steer the country out of the “crisis”.

Responding to a question, he said he is confidence that opposition parties have garnered support of more than 172 MNAs required to remove the premier.

“Not only opposition but ruling PTI lawmakers are also fed up with their government because they have to contest elections and go back to their constituencies,” he added.

While citing an example, Zardari said in the past despite lacking establishment’s support PPP foiled the no-trust move against its government. However, [then] president Farooq Leghari later dissolved the assemblies but we also curtailed the powers of the president,” he said while referring to the Article 58-2(b).

Earlier in the day, senior members of opposition parties submitted the motion to the National Assembly Secretariat. Ayaz Sadiq, Saad Rafique, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Rana Sanaullah, Shazia Murree, Naveed Qamar and Shahida Akhtar Ali and Alia Kamran were among those who reached the parliament to submit the motion.

Read more: Opposition submits no-confidence motion against PM Imran in NA

The no-confidence motion was submitted to Additional Secretary of the National Assembly Muhammad Mushtaq with the signatures of 86 members, said sources.

Speaking to the media after submitting the motion, PML-N's Rana Sanaullah said that "all plans of the government will fail" and the opposition has the required numbers on its side to turn the tables.

Under the rules, opposition requires the support of 172 MNAs to oust the premier through no-trust move.

Reacting to the development, PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari wrote “democracy is the best revenge” on his official Twitter handle.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/234700...bered-no-rhetoric-can-save-him-now-opposition

 

[Major]

Pakistan has more enemies and back stabbers within its own home, than any other country in the world.

A large portion of the public and their elected officials are the worst enemies of their own.

Let this motion pass and Fazlur Rehman become the PM.
Who knows if THATS the kind of happiness, our people are looking for?

where was this post when pti was doing dharna and talked about removing the govt?

Oh yeh i forgot, when the sword is agaisnt you than we are called back stabbers

 

[Colorblind Genius]

where was this post when pti was doing dharna and talked about removing the govt?

Oh yeh i forgot, when the sword is agaisnt you than we are called back stabbers

I would've spoken against PTI if the previous govts had not put the country under a $105 BILLION worth of debt.

 

[Bewal Express]

where was this post when pti was doing dharna and talked about removing the govt?

Oh yeh i forgot, when the sword is agaisnt you than we are called back stabbers

The PTI didn't have Foreign powers backing it, the opposition is working and is funded by the CIA. Look at the confusing and contradictory reasons for this. Anyways IK has won this already even if he loses. Firstly, the opposition will take over at time when the oil price is heading towards 200 and they will be painted( and rightly so) as Foreign agents. Lets see what they do when oil, gas, wheat etc are going through the roof. Be careful what you wish for

 

[Major]

The PTI didn't have Foreign powers backing it, the opposition is working and is funded by the CIA. Look at the confusing and contradictory reasons for this. Anyways IK has won this already even if he loses. Firstly, the opposition will take over at time when the oil price is heading towards 200 and they will be painted( and rightly so) as Foreign agents. Lets see what they do when oil, gas, wheat etc are going through the roof. Be careful what you wish for

lol oppostiiton backed by CIA )

 

[Bewal Express]

lol oppostiiton backed by CIA )

Are you saying it's not true. Where are they getting billions from? Look Diesel and Maryams reaction on IK speech. It was pathetic.

 

[Major]

Are you saying it's not true. Where are they getting billions from? Look Diesel and Maryams reaction on IK speech. It was pathetic.

you do know that PMLN members the Sharifs are business conglomerates. For a corrupt party like the, funding is a least of an issue

 

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: Former president and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari has claimed that no-confidence motion against PM Imran Khan to get the support of more than 172 MNAs, ARY News reported.

This he said while addressing a joint presser along with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Democratic Movement and JUI-F chief, Fazlur Rehman in Islamabad.

The joint opposition on Tuesday submitted a no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan in the National Assembly secretariat.

Asif Ali Zardari said that the no-confidence motion has been moved by the joint opposition after reaching a consensus that no party single-handedly steer the country out of crises.

Replying to a journalist’s question about the missing of opposition members in the recent legislation in the Senate, Asif Ali Zardari claimed that more than 172 members will support the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan and went on to say do you want me to tell the names of MNAs who are supporting us?

PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that the opposition has reached here with mutual consensus and hoped that no-confidence move will succeed from the National Assembly.

Fazlur Rehman ruled out the impression of any differences with institutions and added that they are striving hard for the broader interests of the country.

“First we will achieve the targets and then will reveal the future course of action,” the JUI-F said.

PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif said that a consultation of the joint opposition was held yesterday in which it was decided that a no-confidence motion against PM Imran would be submitted in the National Assembly today.

He said, “We kept this as a secret and everyone obeyed it, today all the parties signed the requisition and no-confidence motion with their members and today we have submitted it.”

ARY

 

[Bewal Express]

you do know that PMLN members the Sharifs are business conglomerates. For a corrupt party like the, funding is a least of an issue

But these crooks never spend a penny of their own. They are acting on instructions- firstly the SS cases are too close for comfort and then IK has told Americans to get lost. Why would American Diplomats spend so much time meeting the opposition? Are they well wishers for PK? What will NS do for them that IK wont? Look at the EU diplomats and their arrogance towards PK and IKS reply.

 

[Extra_Cover]

This no confidence motion filed against IK would end up being the downfall of opposition even for next general elections. Its also quite bemusing what triggered the opposition to go for this motion because they have very little to gain and everything to lose. I understand there is unanimous hate against IK within the opposition ranks which triggered this petition however doing this at this time makes absolutely no sense.

For a moment let's assume no confidence motion is successful against IK in that case who would be put forward by opposition as PM candidate? Fazlu? Also why take on board the sinking ship just 1.5 years before general elections?

On flip side if the motion fails IK's government would be stronger than before and might actually sweep the next elections.

All in all this is quite a stupid move from opposition.

 

[silentkiller187]

A day after the submission of a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, National Assembly Opposition Leader and head of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Shehbaz Sharif called on Jamaat-e-Islami chief Sirajul Haq on Wednesday to seek his party’s support to oust the premier.

The opposition has 162 lawmakers in the National Assembly whereas to oust the prime minister, they require 172 votes. The government and its allies currently hold 179 seats in the lower house.

During the meeting at the residence of Mian Aslam in Islamabad, Shehbaz, on behalf of the joint opposition, requested the JI chief to support the no-trust vote for the sake of 220 million Pakistanis.

He said the PTI government has made the lives of the people hell, adding that the ruling party’s mandate was bogus. Shehbaz said the opposition will also make efforts to woo PTI lawmakers.

“We will remove the government through a constitutional process and go to people to seek a fresh mandate,” the PML-N chief added.

Siraj also chided the government over high taxation and hyperinflation. The JI chief said the government has even taxed “every drop of water and morsel of bread”.

He said the no-confidence motion against the premier was a constitutional process, adding that the JI will decide on the no-trust move against the premier after meeting the party leadership.

'Talk to Tarin, Aleem'

Talking to media in Lahore, Punjab Governor Chaudhry Sarwar urged the political parties to refrain from horse-trading ahead of the no-trust vote. He said every party should accept whatever will be the outcome of the no-confidence motion.

Speaking about the disgruntled PTI politicians Jahangir Khan Tarin and Aleem Khan, Sarwar said both politicians immensely served the party and the leadership should talk to them to allay their reservations. “Political parties are like a family and it is the job of the top leadership to keep the party intact, else it damages the party,” Sarwar added.

According to the Punjab governor, Chief Minister Usman Buzdar will remain the CM as long as he has the support of the prime minister, the PTI and its allies. He said it was the prerogative of the prime minister to appoint the chief minister in the province.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2347122/joint-opposition-seeks-jis-support-to-dislodge-pm-imran

 

[Cover Drive Six]

Imran Khan reaches the MQM office in Karachi to meet the MQM-P leaders, he once described as Nazis, fascists, terrorists and Indian intelligence agents because they propagated the ideology of secularism, social liberalism and called for an end to the persecution of minorities.

 

[DRsohail]

Imran Khan reaches the MQM office in Karachi to meet the MQM-P leaders, he once described as Nazis, fascists, terrorists and Indian intelligence agents because they propagated the ideology of secularism, social liberalism and called for an end to the persecution of minorities.

Minus altaf,you are forgetting something.

 

[silentkiller187]

KARACHI: With the no-confidence motion submitted to the National Assembly secretariat, Prime Minister Imran Khan claimed on Wednesday that the move is the “political death” of the Opposition

“I was telling my team. They have done what I was praying for,” said PM Imran while speaking to the charged PTI workers at the Sindh Governor House during his day-long visit to Karachi.

“No confidence motion is their political death,” PM Imran Khan told his workers about the Opposition.

The premier told the PTI Karachi chapter that the party chairman is “among the top five or six captain’s cricket’s history”

The premier said that in cricket a captain is successful when he plans how to win a Test on the last day of the match after planning his moves for the first four days. He added that if a cricket captain does not have such an “ability then he cannot be a successful” skipper.

The premier told the PTI's Karachi chapter that their party chairman is “among the top five or six captain’s cricket’s history”

The premier said that in cricket a captain is successful when he plans how to win a Test on the last day of the match after planning his moves for the first four days. He added that if a cricket captain does not have such an “ability then he cannot be a successful” skipper.

Coming back to the Opposition, the PM said that he was waiting for the “gang of robbers” as they were claiming after “every two months” that the government would be leaving.

“I was thinking somehow their necks come in my hand,” said PM Imran about the no-confidence motion. He added that the he wanted the Opposition to submit the motion.

The premier claimed that the Opposition has become “trapped” after submitting the no-confidence motion. He added that he has planned his moves for the future and will not stop once he wins the backing of the national Assembly.

“My hands were tied, so far. The shackles that were on my hand will be broken. My first target will be Asif Ali Zardari on whom my gun has been pointing at for a long time,” said PM Imran.

While attacking Zardari, the PM claimed that the PPP co-chairperson commits injustice, steals and takes commission on everything.

“Asif Zardari your time is here now,” said PM Imran.

https://www.geo.tv/latest/403982-pm-imran-khan-addresses-pti-workers-at-sindh-governor-house