PM announces stepping down if betrayed by party members again

Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has said that he is going to seek a vote of confidence from the National Assembly this week, adding that his party would sit on opposition benches if they lose this time.

He was addressing the national a day after his party’s Abdul Hafeez Shaikh faced defeat on the critical Senate seat from Islamabad despite PTI and its ally parties’ majority in the lower house of the parliament.

The premier said that that the opposition wanted to threaten him with the no-confidence motion after defeating Shaikh in order to get NRO-like concession. Saying vote of confidence will be held through show-off hand, the premier said that he will have no objection if any member of his party does not trust him.

Highlighting that some of his party’s lawmakers have sold their votes to ensure the victory of PDM’s joint candidate Yousaf Raza Gillani, he said that such elements should have fear of God.

PM Imran also questioned the role of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in the Senate election. He accused the Commission of damaging the democracy in the country by supporting secret balloting for Senate polls. “The ECP was informed about the horse-trading beforehand but it did not take any action,” he said.

He said that the ECP provided an opportunity of horse-trading to the opposition, adding that the institution has failed to hold fair and transparent elections.

Hitting out at opposition parties, the premier said that all the opposition parties in the past were calling for holding Senate polls through an open ballot but they stepped back when the government tried to make legislation in this regard. He said that such moves made the character of opposition parties doubtful.