New Delhi: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan faces a vote of no confidence in him and his government, tomorrow, Sunday, in the capital, Islamabad.
Khan, who has refused to step down and vowed to face a no-confidence vote, said he has a “surprise” in store for the self-confident opposition coalition that claims to have “more than enough” votes to oust the prime minister.
The opposition coalition led by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) submitted a motion of no-confidence against Khan on March 8, claiming that the prime minister had lost the confidence of most of the parliament’s representatives.
Khan needs 172 votes to maintain power by a simple majority in the 342-member National Assembly (the lower house of parliament).
Khan’s PTI, which has 155 members in the National Assembly, formed a coalition government with the support of five allied parties in 2018.
Khan, the cricket star, facing mounting pressure from his handling of the faltering economy, lost a majority in parliament after three of the five allies, the MQM, the Balochistan Awami Party and the National Republican Party, joined the opposition.
About two dozen lawmakers from the ruling coalition declared their support for the opposition, which now claims to have a majority in the National Assembly and has called on the prime minister to step down.
According to the current census, PTI and its allied party, the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) and the Grand Democratic Alliance, are supported by 162 members of the National Assembly, while the opposition claims it has the support of 199 deputies.
The opposition, which already has 163 seats in the House of Representatives, needs just 10 more votes to oust Imran Khan and his government.
The opposition blames Khan for mismanaging the economy and foreign policy, which the prime minister denies.
Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed the nation too in this regards.
The Constitution of Pakistan states that “in the event that a motion of no-confidence against the Prime Minister is passed by a majority of the members of the House of Representatives, the Prime Minister shall cease to take office.”
