Imran says PM Shehbaz to be ‘tested with vote of confidence'

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said Saturday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will be “tested” through a confidence vote in the National Assembly (NA).

PTI chief said that Shehbaz had tested him so now his party would turn the tables on the prime minister.

In an appearance on Hum News show Hum Meher Bokhari Kay Sath, when asked if PM Shehbaz will be asked to obtain a vote of confidence, Imran said: “Absolutely, we will test him.”

Imran confirmed that his party will discuss the move in a meeting on Sunday.

The development comes days after the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), an ally of the Shehbaz Sharif-led coalition government threatened to sit on the opposition benches over the issue of the delimitation.

Earlier this week, Muttahida Qaumi Movement factions staged a protest outside the ECP office in Karachi against delimitations. Addressing the participants of the demonstration, MQM-P chief Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said that MQM has paid a heavy political price for this government and can leave it if their reservations were not resolved on an immediate basis.

“We are giving two days time to resolve our reservations after that we [MQM] will be free to make our decisions independently,” said Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui while giving a warning to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.

He lamented that there was no progress on agreement with PPP and the prime minister has formed a committee to look into the matter.

“The ECP has deprived citizens of Karachi and Hyderabad of their basic rights by not doing justice regarding delimitations,” Farooq Sattar said. He called upon the people of Karachi (Muhajirs) to stand up against injustice and get their basic rights. He further urged workers to create awareness among voters that the party wants free, fair and transparent LG elections which are not possible under the current delimitations.

PTI and PML-Q’s focus has turned to the center as both parties were able to take a vote of confidence in the Punjab assembly.

Earlier, Chief Minister Punjab Chaudhry Parvez Elahi dissolved the provincial assembly and sent a summary in this regard has been sent to Governor Baligh Ur Rehman.

PTI Chairman Imran Khan has also predicted that the PML-Q could merge with the PTI in the future.

In his interview today, Imran said that it was “better for PML-Q leaders to contest the next general election on PTI’s ticket.”

At a meeting with the journalists on Friday, Imran said that PML-Q leader Moonis Elahi played an important role in helping materialize the plan of dissolving the Punjab Assembly.

He observed it would be hard for the Pakistan Democratic Movement to prolong the tenure of the interim government in the province, adding that the new establishment could not afford this.