Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan won a vote of confidence in the National Assembly on Saturday amid a call for a boycott by opposition parties, strengthening the legitimacy of his government after a shameful defeat of the Finance Minister in the tight elections to the Senate.
Prime Minister Khan won 178 votes in the 342-member lower house of Parliament during a special session called on the directives of President Arif Alvi. A total of 172 votes was needed for a simple majority.
The soil test was carried out without the Opposition, as the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an alliance of 11 parties, boycotted the vote.
The 68-year-old cricketer-turned-politician had decided to cast a vote of confidence in the lower house of parliament after his finance minister, Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, was defeated in a tight Senate election on Wednesday. The opposition demanded the resignation of the prime minister after the debacle.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi introduced a single point resolution in the House.
“That this House places its trust in the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Mr. Imran Khan, as required in clause (7) of Article 91 of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” the resolution said.
A total of 172 votes was needed in the 342-member House for a simple majority. The ruling coalition had 181 members, but after the resignation of one of its legislators, Faisal Vowda, its strength was reduced to 180. The opposition coalition has 160 members in the House. A seat was vacant.
The ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) had 157 members in the NA, but following Vowda’s resignation, it now has 156 members in the National Assembly. The ruling party has said that Vowda can vote during the confidence motion as his resignation has not yet been accepted. However, the opposition insisted that he cannot vote as he has resigned.
The ruling party’s allies include seven from the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), five from the Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) and the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), three from the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) and one of each of the AML and the JWP.
On Friday, Prime Minister Khan chaired a meeting of parliamentary parties at the Prime Minister’s House (PMH) in which all members of the National Assembly (MNA) of the ruling alliance were asked to vote for the prime minister, from otherwise they may be disqualified.
According to a cabinet member, 175 lawmakers from the ruling coalition attended the parliamentary party meeting at PMH.
Khan also held separate meetings with leaders of the ruling coalition partners. All the allied parties, the MQM, the PML-Q and the GDA pledged their support.
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