ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said the no-confidence motion moved against the prime minister will face defeat in the Parliament.
The motion seeking the ouster of Imran Khan was submitted to the office of National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser on Tuesday. It accused him of mismanaging the economy and poor governance in the toughest challenge he has faced since taking power in August 2018.
Talking to the reporters in Islamabad on Tuesday, the foreign minister said there is chaos in the ranks of opposition parties since they do not have the required numbers to remove Khan.
With the help of several smaller parties, the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party holds a narrow majority in the National Assembly. It has 179 seats in the 342-member House, only seven more than required for a simple majority.
If none of the MPs from the ranks of the prime minister’s allies or the PTI vote against him, he will likely succeed. However, the PTI is currently facing a split because of an internal revolt by some members.
The opposition, on the other hand, has 162 members and needs a simple majority of 172 to topple the government.
Should Khan fail to win approval, the parliament will have to choose a new prime minister.
Qureshi said the unholy alliance of the opposition will not last and will shatter soon as their ideology and destination both are different.
He said the government will face the no-confidence motion in a constitutional, political and democratic manner.
Qureshi said we have held successful public gatherings in Mandi Bahuddin, Mailsi, Lower Dir and Hafizabad in which the people expressed their solidarity with Khan.
He said a public gathering to be held at D-Chowk on March 27 will be peaceful in which the prime minister will put his case in the court of the public.
He revealed that Khan wants to share some things with the nation to gain their confidence and the public gathering is “not a protest like the other political parties [are holding].”
Opposition leaders say Khan has lost public support as he struggles with high inflation, a rising current account deficit and depleting foreign reserves.
Khan vowed to fight any move to unseat him. “Whatever they do, I’m ready for that,” he told a gathering in Islamabad.
Khan has responded to economic problems with cuts in fuel and electricity prices, while rejecting calls to step down and warning the opposition of unspecified consequences if they force a vote of no-confidence.
Both the opposition and Khan’s party are riven by factions. Khan won a confidence vote last year by six votes.
