Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry claimed on Wednesday that the government alliance in the Punjab Assembly had the support of 187 lawmakers for Chief Minister Parvez Elahi’s vote of confidence.
“Alhamdulillah, the [required] number of 187 has been achieved,” Fawad tweeted, amid reports that CM Elahi will obtain the confidence vote tonight in the ongoing assembly session.
Elahi needs the support of at least 186 Members Provincial Assembly (MPAs) to prove his majority in the house.
الحمدللہ 187 کا نمبر مکمل
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) January 11, 2023
The development comes amid a ruckus in the provincial assembly for the third consecutive day with opposition lawmakers – led by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) – chanting slogans against CM Elahi, urging him to take a vote of confidence. They also tore agenda copies and vowed not to let the session progress until their demand was met.
The session started with a delay of at least two hours with Speaker Sibtain Khan in the chair.
Minister for Law and Parliamentary Affairs Raja Basharat presented audit reports of the departments amid the opposition’s continuous sloganeering.
At the outset of the session, PPP MPA Syed Usman Mehmood said that the “minority government” was requested to take a confidence vote and then a period for questions could be held as well.
PML-N lawmaker Raheela Khadim Hussain refused to speak during the question and answers session and instead requested that the confidence vote be taken first.
The PA speaker said that the government would take a confidence vote but first the Lahore High Court should be allowed to make the final decision tomorrow.
He said the government could not remain in power if it did not take a confidence vote and told the opposition to bring a no-confidence motion to settle the matter.
Meanwhile, PTI MPA Sardar Shahabuddin Khan lashed out at the opposition for causing a ruckus and said it had nothing to do with assembly proceedings.
The PA speaker concurred and noted that the lawmakers who do not allow the assembly business to continue should be suspended.
