Zardari says it is ‘now or never’ situation to remove Imran Khan

 

ISLAMABAD   -   The joint opposition on Tuesday submitted the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan in the National Assembly Secretariat.

As many as 86 MNAs from three major parliamentary opposition parties including Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N), Pakistan People’s Party [PPP-P], Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam [JUI-F] and Awami National Party [ANP] have jointly submitted the no-trust motion.

The no-confidence motion was submitted with the signature of Khawaja Saad Rafique, Marriyum Aurangzeb, Ayaz Sadiq, Rana Sanaullah, Naveed Qamar and Shazia Marri, Shahida Akhtar and others. According to the rules and procedure, the joint opposition has to ensure 172 votes in the national assembly house when the Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser put it for voting after summoning the national assembly session. The speaker has between three to seven days to conduct voting on a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan. Prime Minister Imran Khan in the last year had sought a no-trust motion and secured 178 votes, six votes more than the required votes [172].

According to the numerical strength in the national assembly, the treasury benches currently enjoy 179 including 155 PTI, 7 MQM-P, 5 PML-Q, 5 BAP, 3 GDA, 2 Independents, one AML and one JWP. On the other hand, the opposition has 162 votes including 84 PML-N, 56 PPP, 15 MMA, 4 BNP (Mengal), 2 Independents and one ANP.

Talking to newsmen, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said that a delegation of senior opposition lawmakers have submitted the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan with the National Assembly Secretariat. “The National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser was not present in his office which is why the document was submitted with the secretariat,” she said.

PPP-P’s senior leader Naveed Qamar, talking to media, said a requisition has also been submitted in the national assembly secretariat to summon the national assembly session.

About the no-confidence motion, the NA Speaker said it was the legal right of the opposition to submit the no-confidence motion. “If it is according to the rules, to the law, to the Constitution, it will be treated as such,” he said.

To a question about calling the national assembly session, the national assembly speaker said he would look into it and consult with legal experts. “Everything would be done according to the law,” he said, responding to a question about the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting in the national assembly house.

When asked about PTI’s MNAs unity, he said the ruling party parliamentarians stand with the party. “PTI is in contact with its allies....our allies are with the government,” he said and dodged the question PTI’s dissidents’ threat to go against the Prime Minister in no-confidence motion.

The opposition parties had earlier given deadlines to submit the no-trust motion but the given dates twice expired. The opposition, in their media talks, claims to secure more than required votes [172] against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The leaders of opposition parties on Tuesday said that there was no other option except to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan through a vote of no-confidence.

Speaking at a joint news conference after the opposition parties submitted a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly Secretariat against PM Khan, Pakistan People’s Party Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, Pakistan Democratic Movement leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman and the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) President Shehbaz Sharif said the PM Imran Khan had lost the confidence of the parliamentarians and the masses.

They said that the opposition had collectively decided to move against the government and bring the no-confidence move against Imran Khan.

PPP supremo Asif Ali Zardari said, if the opposition had not taken any action at this time, it would have been too late and then the situation could have gotten out of hands. “We, the opposition, think that (it is) now or never (situation),” he said.

Zardari claimed that the opposition had more than the required numbers for the success of the no-confidence motion. He rejected the impression that some hidden forces would play their role in foiling the opposition’s move.

The PPP leader said that they would succeed in their struggle, adding that he had also foiled the no-trust move against Benazir Bhutto despite the fact the then establishment was not with the PPP and even media was not supporting them, but the PPP defeated all forces and succeeded. “This time we will make the no-trust move against Imran Khan successful,” he confidently said.

Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif said that inflation and unemployment had hit the highest level in the history of the country, making the life of poor people miserable. He observed that the current government had taken loans and burdened the country with huge foreign debt.

He blamed Imran Khan for taking the country’s foreign policy to the wrong track, adding, those countries which have always supported Pakistan in its difficult times, have got annoyed with the country. “Imran Khan has spoiled Pakistan’s relations with China, Saudi Arabia and recently with the European countries,” he maintained.

PDM President Maulana Fazlur Rehman, speaking on the occasion, said the days of Imran Khan’s government were numbered.

He alleged Imran Khan had promoted western culture in the country, adding that they had previously pointed out that Imran Khan was agent of foreign forces and time had testified it. He said Imran Khan had made tall claims of change but done nothing for the last three and half years.

“Imran Khan had promised to provide 10 million jobs but he made the youth of the country jobless,” Maulana Fazlur Rehman said.

The PM, he said, promised to build five million houses for the poor but the country witnessed that he had demolished the houses of the poor masses.

To a question, Shehbaz Sharif said that they were in contact with everyone to topple the government and also urged the PTI’s allies to come forward and get rid of the incompetent government. He mentioned that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s dissident members were also supporting the opposition in their struggle.