Imran wins crucial vote as parliamentarians express confidence

Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Saturday won the crucial confidence vote in the National Assembly, hanging on to power after his finance adviser Abdul Hafeez Sheikh lost the high-stakes Senate seat election earlier in the week.

Needing the support of 172 MPs in the 342-seat House to retain its confidence, the prime minister secured 178 votes. PTI has 157 members in the House.

Historic announcement for #PrimeMinisterImranKhan by Speaker Asad Qaiser. With 178 votes, PM wins the Vote of Confidence in National Assembly. Congratulations Pakistan, Insaf Won! Chants of Wazeer e Azam Imran Khan heard from Parliament to D Chowk now. #ہو_گئی_انصاف_کی_جیت pic.twitter.com/YsQeeEeTN1

— PTI (@PTIofficial) March 6, 2021

The session began at 12:15 pm with a single-point agenda to reaffirm confidence in Imran, according to a National Assembly Secretariat statement.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi tabled the resolution in the House. The resolution reads: “That this House reposes confidence in the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Mr Imran Khan, as required under clause (7) of Article 91 of the Constitution Islamic Republic of Pakistan.”

Honoured to be #BehindYouSkipper @ImranKhanPTI pic.twitter.com/nNRLM1DiZI

— Shah Mahmood Qureshi (@SMQureshiPTI) March 5, 2021

MPs arrived at the Parliament House while scores of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) activists and supporters and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders gathered outside.

Read more – PTI, PML-N face off in Islamabad as parliament decides PM’s fate

Before the session began, Punjab and Balochistan chief ministers Usman Buzdar and Jam Kamal Khan, Senate chairman Sadiq Sanjrani and other officials met in Speaker Asad Qaiser’s chamber, where they discussed the vote of confidence.

The prime minister had decided to take the vote on Wednesday (March 3) following the Senate elections wherein his party faced the unexpected defeat of Sheikh.