New Delhi: Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan will “play till the last ball” as he bravely takes guard against an impending no-confidence motion brought against his government by the Opposition.
“I will not resign under any circumstance… and I will surprise them a day before as they are still under pressure… My trump card is that I have not laid any of my cards yet,” Geo News quoted him.
Speaker Asad Qaiser has called for a session from March 25 for the no-trust motion. According to rules, the vote must take place after three and within seven days.
Khan is confident that the people were with him. He has also warned the Opposition that he would not stay silent if he was forced to step down. “I will not compromise on my principles even if my government is ousted… I cannot betray the people and God.”
Imran Khan requires the support of 172 members of the 342-member National Assembly to save his government.
Apart from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf’s 155 members in the House, the party has the support of 23 members from six other political parties.
The Constitution mandates that a government resign if it loses a no-confidence vote. A different leader can form another government or the Opposition too can claim power if it can show the numbers.
Nearly 20 of Khan’s own men have joined Jehangir Tarin, Khan’s financier who has turned hostile. The rebels have demanded the removal of Usman Buzdar, the Chief Minister of the powerful Punjab province.
Geo News reported that Khan’s coalition partners — Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P), Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) – could join the Opposition led by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
The Opposition — PMLN and the PPP of former prime ministers Nawaz Sharif and Benazir Bhutto respectively – has said Khan was responsible for rising inflation in the country.
The army has been silent on the political upheaval. Analysts said the all-powerful army was in Khan’s favour since his election in 2018 but had turned ‘neutral’ because of the government’s ‘poor’ performance.
Though Khan has cut fuel and electricity prices, the Opposition is still determined to test his ability to stay in power.
Since Pakistan’s formation in 1947, 18 men and women have been appointed or elected as prime minister. Not one of them has served a full term.
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