Shehbaz Sharif tables no-confidence motion against PM Imran Khan

Islamabad: In Pakistan, the opposition has mounted pressure on Prime Minister Imran Khan as Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif tabled a no-confidence resolution against him in the National Assembly yesterday. The Bill was tabled after 161 Members of National Assembly (MNAs) voted in favour of bringing the Bill. 

Following the tabling of the motion, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Qasim Khan Suri announced that debate on the resolution will begin on March 31 and adjourned the session until 4 pm on March 31. The opposition needs votes from at least 172 lawmakers for the no-trust move to succeed.

Since another ally of Imran Khan, Shahzain Bugti of the Jamhoori Watan Party, has also pulled out of the ruling coalition, the number of treasury members has now reduced to 178 in the 342-member lower house of the



parliament.

The Balochistan Awami Party had already crossed over to the opposition, increasing Imran Khan's trouble. The opposition has support of 163 MNAs and needs the support of just nine more MNAs. On the other hand, Imran Khan's party Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), which enjoys a majority in Punjab, made PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi its chief ministerial candidate after incumbent Usman Buzdar presented his resignation to Khan.

Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib later informed that PML-Q had decided to support the Imran Khan government in the no-confidence resolution in the national assembly. Meanwhile, another PML-Q leader Tariq Basheer Cheema had resigned from the federal cabinet and had said that he would support the opposition in the no-confidence vote.