WEB DESK
In a fresh blow to the embattled Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan struggling to cling to power, nearly two dozen disgruntled lawmakers from his Khan’s ruling party have openly threatened to vote against him on the no-confidence motion tabled in Parliament by the Opposition.
Around 100 lawmakers from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) submitted a no-confidence motion before the National Assembly Secretariat on March 8, alleging that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) government led by Khan was responsible for the economic crisis and the spiralling inflation in the country.
The National Assembly session for the move is expected to be convened on March 21 and the voting is likely to be held on March 28. After the no-trust move was submitted by the joint opposition, some of the partners in the government began to dither but the real shocker for Khan came on Thursday when it emerged that about 24 lawmakers from his own party were ready to part ways to join the push to topple his government.
The PTI has 155 members in the House and needs at least 172 lawmakers on its side to remain in the government. The party has the support of 23 members belonging to at least six political parties. Khan’s PTI party came to power in 2018 and the next general election is scheduled to be held in 2023.