Islamabad: Pakistan's Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and PML-N President Shahbaz Sharif on Monday tabled the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan in the lower house.
Following the counting of the members who stood up in favour of the motion, the deputy speaker approved a discussion on the no-confidence motion, adding that it will take place on Thursday, March 31, at 4 pm. However, the voting on the resolution is expected to take place between April 1-4. This is a key development as the political fate of Imran Khan hangs in the balance amid the changing power equations.
Deputy NA Speaker Qasim Suri, during the session, asked the members of the Parliament who are in favour of the motion, to stand up so that the total number of supporting members of the motion could be counted. Asad Qaiser, Speaker of the National Assembly, while meeting the opposition leader shortly before the session assured them that the session would be adjourned after the no-confidence motion is tabled, sources informed Geo News.
The leaders agreed that the session would resume and the house would debate on the no-trust motion. The session on the no-confidence motion was adjourned on Friday morning shortly after tributes were offered to Khayal Zaman, a member of the house from the ruling PTI who had recently passed away. The no-confidence motion was submitted on March 8 after the PPP's long march in Islamabad. The Opposition is confident that its motion would be successful as many PTI lawmakers have come out in the open against PM Imran Khan.
Adding to Khan's woes, almost 20 members from his own party had recently sought refuge in the Sindh House in Islamabad, and none of them showed up to the National Assembly on Friday. The Pakistani National Assembly has a total strength of 342 members, with the majority mark being 172. The PTI led coalition was formed with the support of 179 members, with Imran Khan's PTI having 155 members, and four major allies Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) having seven, five, five and three members respectively.
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