As tussle between govt, opposition deepens, Fawad says CM Elahi will not be seeking vote of confidence today

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Fawad Chaudhry on Wednesday warned Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman to “refrain from any adventures” as he stated that Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Parvez Elahi will not be seeking a vote of confidence today, Aaj News reported.

Speaking to the media in Islamabad, Fawad asserted that the speaker has also issued a ruling in this regard.

Later in a Tweet, Fawad said Elahi had the “complete support of 187 members of the provincial assembly."

“Ten lawmakers of PML-Q have also expressed confidence in the chief minister. Tomorrow, 177 PTI MPAs will gather in favour of Elahi,” he said, adding that the political crisis in Punjab was a reflection of the need for snap polls.

The statement comes as Punjab Governor Muhammad Baligh-ur-Rehman's order, asking Chief Minister Parvez Elahi to seek a vote of confidence, on Wednesday (December 21) was ignored by the PTI and its allies.

On Tuesday, Punjab Assembly Speaker Sibtain Khan called Governor Balighur Rehman’s move for calling a fresh session of the provincial assembly illegal.

The tussle between the government and the opposition continues to deepen since PTI Chairman Imran Khan announced the dissolution of the assemblies in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Dec 23, with the PML-N and allies deliberating on ways to prevent the move.

A day earlier, the Punjab government issued an order, calling a fresh session of the provincial assembly and requiring Chief Minister Parvez Elahi to obtain a vote of confidence. The governor said Elahi had lost the confidence of PML-Q head Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and party members, adding there were also reports of a confrontation between the PTI and PML-Q on various issues.

The Punjab Assembly Speaker was of the view that the governor cannot call a fresh session when the previous one is already going on. The ongoing session was called by the speaker and it could not be ended by the governor, he stressed. He said the Assembly Secretariat would not issue a gazette notification of the fresh session called by the governor on Dec 21.

Meanwhile, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Co-Chairman and former president Asif Ali Zardari met PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Tuesday and discussed the no-confidence motion and vote of confidence by CM Parvez Elahi beside other important issues concerning Punjab political situation.

This was the second meeting between two veteran politicians in two consecutive days after the PTI Chairman Imran Khan announced to dissolve the Punjab Assembly. Both also expressed the resolve to bring their Chief Minister in Punjab, sources said.

Both held detailed discussions on Punjab's political scenario and also took Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on board through a telephonic call during the meeting, said the sources. “Both underscored the need of political and economic stability and finalised strategy for the vote of no confidence against Chaudhry Parvez Elahi.”

PPP leader Nasir Hussain Shah and PML-N Malik Ahmad Khan briefed the PML-Q and PPP leaders on important issues. Federal Ministers Chaudhry Salik Hussain and Tariq Bashir were also present. It may be noted that federal minister Salik Hussain also met Asif Ali Zardari to discuss the political situation. He gave his father Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain’s message to Asif Zardari.

The sources claimed that the option of approaching the court of law was also discussed if the PTI Speaker caused a hindrance in the Punjab Assembly session on Wednesday (today).

Punjab number game

After Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman asked Punjab CM Parvez Elahi to seek a vote of confidence from the assembly, the number game in the Punjab Assembly is once again in the spotlight.

Parvez Elahi needs the magic number of 186 in the 371-strong House to show the majority and thwart PML-N’s attempt to remove him from office.

The PTI-PML-Q alliance has a total of 190 votes (180 +10). On the other hand, the opposition alliance has the support of 180 lawmakers, including 167 from the PML-N, seven from the PPP, five independent lawmakers, and one from the Rah-i-Haq Party.