In a major development on Saturday, incumbent Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan won the trust vote in the National Assembly, thereby securing his government from a collapse. The development comes days after Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh lost his seat in the Upper House (Senate) of the Parliament.
As per reports, Imran Khan’s government received 178 votes in an assembly of 342 members. The Pakistani Prime Minister needed a total of 172 votes to save his government. During the special session convened on the orders of President Arif Alvi, the Opposition boycotted the voting and demanded the resignation of the incumbent Prime Minister for his earlier Senate debacle.
The motion for a vote of confidence was presented in the National Assembly by Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi under Article 91 (Clause 7). Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) and its allies had a strength of 180 members while the Opposition had a total strength of 160 members. PTI had the support of Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), AML and JWP.
It must be mentioned that a total of 11 Opposition parties have come under the umbrella of ‘Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) against the ruling dispensation. Recently, Pakistani Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh lost to the Opposition-backed candidate, ex-Pm Yousuf Raza Gilani.