Punjab political crisis: PTI, PML-N alert MPs to imminent vote of confidence

ISLAMABAD: As the tug of war between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) over the dissolution of provincial assembly of Punjab has intensified, the former issued directives to its assembly members abroad on Saturday to rush home to ensure their presence in the forthcoming vote of confidence by Chief Minister Pervaiz Elahi.

The sources said that the speaker Punjab Assembly Muhammad Sibtain Khan has directed the PTI MPAs who have gone on foreign trips to rush home as PTI can go for a vote of confidence for the chief minister any time.

They said that PTI MPAs Shamsa Ali is in Dubai, Waseem Badozai in England, while Niaz Gishkori has gone for Umrah to Saudi Arabia.

They said that the PA Speaker has directed PTI chief whip in Punjab Assembly Syed Abbas Ali Shah to immediately call back all the MPAs who have gone abroad.

On the other hand, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) have also banned all their MPAs from travelling abroad till further orders as they are confident to oust the PTI-backed chief minister in the forthcoming vote of confidence.

A day after Lahore High Court (LHC) threw out a notification by Governor Punjab Muhammad Baleegur Rehman through which he had denotified the chief minister after he turned down his order to get a vote of confidence from the provincial assembly.

As LHC is set to hear the case on January 11 next year, the chief minister has decided to get a vote of confidence from the assembly and then dissolve it to pave the way for fresh elections in the province.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022