Ahead of the no-confidence motion’s resolution due today on Thursday, March 31, the Imran Khan government lost its majority in the National Assembly in Pakistan on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led coalition government was reduced to 164 lawmakers in the 342-member National Assembly after a key ally of the PTI – Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) parted its way with the government and extended its support to the opposition. This has increased the strength of opposition in the National Assembly of Pakistan to 177, excluding the likely support from around 25-40 rebel MPs from PTI itself.
For PM Imran Khan to stay in the government, he will need 172 votes during the no-confidence motion being kept to vote. The opposition members have asked Imran Khan to resign from his post ahead of the vote. In response to this, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhary took to Twitter and informed that PM Imran Khan will fight till the end and will not resign. “Imran Khan is a player who fights till the last ball. There will not be a resignation. There will be a match, both friends and foes will watch it,” tweeted Chaudhry.
If Imran Khan loses the motion resolution, then the Leader of the Opposition in parliament and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif would be the next prime minister of the country, according to the reports. Shehbaz Sharif is the brother of former Prime Minister of Pakistan Nawaz Sharif, who is under medical treatment abroad since he was released from jail in 2021.
The next session on the no-trust motion is scheduled to take place from 4:30 pm (Indian time) today on Thursday in the National Assembly of Pakistan.
