ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Saturday rejected the vote of confidence obtained by Prime Minister Imran Khan from National Assembly amid opposition’s boycott, saying the trust vote has “worthless”.

The PDM gave its response the Prime Minister’s vote of confidence through a motion passed with 178 votes from National Assembly through a press conference after a consultative meeting.

Speaking at a news conference, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) vice president Maryam Nawaz and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari lashed out at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for the incident that took place outside the Parliament

building in which PML-N leaders were allegedly targeted by the ruling party supporters.

Maryam Nawaz termed the Prime Minister Imran Khan’s exercise of seeking the trust vote as of “no worth”, saying his ‘days are numbered and he is trying to save his rule with whatever means possible.’

“The vote of confidence is “fake”. The votes were secured at gunpoint, as the parliament lodges were turned into a “bunker” with armed guards patrolling the PTI lawmakers all the night on Friday,” she claimed.

“It was a non-event because you’ve taken it from your members on gunpoint. What worth does a vote have that you got by telling [lawmakers] on gunpoint: ‘Give me the vote or I won’t spare you?” she further remarked.

According to her, the vote of confidence from the house was “temporary relief”. “Even death is better than this support of compromise. If there was a person with a little bit of respect, he would’ve said my elders did their best to save me but the people have decided,” she said, adding that the government has been defeated in the people’s court and it should accept it.

She said that the decision of the lost of confidence in Imran Khan was taken the day Yusuf Raza Gilani defeated Hafeez Shaikh in the Senate polls on March 3.

She praised Marriyum Aurangzeb for showing courage after a clash with PTI workers earlier in the day. “You [Aurangzeb] have shown a lioness’ courage and made me proud,” she told Aurangzeb.

Maryam said she was not surprised to see the visuals of the scuffle on television, saying “when a jackal's death comes, it runs towards the city.”

She said when the PTI was in the opposition, its supporters did “hooliganism” on the Parliament like this and now that they're in government, “even if through a false manner, they exhibited the same hooliganism today.”

“I'm happy that instead of us, they themselves told the 220 million people who were watching their hooliganism live on TV that they're immensely worried and that they may have taken the fake vote of confidence but they're on their way out,” Maryam further stated.

She said although the PML-N believed in “morals and decent politics”, it will not forget the alleged behaviour of the PTI workers who alleged attacked the PML-N leaders at D-Chowk.

Bilawal said that attacking parliamentarians especially women parliamentarians is the tradition of Imran Khan and his goons and it is not the culture and attitude of Pakistan people to raise hand on women.

He, on behalf of the entire Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), condemned the attack on PML-N parliamentarians in strongest possible words.

While addressing the PDM Parliamentarians who had gathered at Sindh House Islamabad to celebrate the win of Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani on Saturday, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that the win of our candidate on one seat in Islamabad has proved that not only politics is the art of possibilities but it is also an art of making impossible, possible.

He said that the puppet is not been able to run Pakistan for the last three years. “Media is in chains and there is pressure on the judiciary for the last three years. During the last three years political leaders, members assembly and their families are being pressurised and victimized. The puppet has been given an impression that they are on one page and he is here to stay not only for 5 years or ten years but forever. Due to the Charter of Democracy signed by Benazir Bhutto and Nawaz Sharif, the peaceful transfer was made possible,” he said.

Bilawal Bhutto said that now an authoritarian government is in place but we played a political card and exposed this fascist and puppet. “Today, on one hand, the entire Pakistan is witnessing this victory event and on the other a grumpy old man who can clearly see his end in sight. His frustration is apparent for all to see. This one win exposed this fascist and puppet. The members have proved that Imran Khan has lost majority in the National Assembly. Now, the President of Pakistan has also said that Imran Khan has lost his majority. Imran Khan cannot prove his majority by inviting a procession of his party goons to the parliament. Now Imran Khan does not have the support in the Parliament neither in the public,” he said.

Chairman PPP once again said that now we, the PDM will decide where and when the no-confidence will be tabled against Imran Khan, against his Speaker or against puppet chief minister. This puppet cannot compete against the plan of Maulana Fazlur Rehman, President Zardari and Nawaz Sharif. He said that the PDM in a short time took big decisions. Imran Khan has degraded the National Assembly. There was a very small space for PDM but it was enough for us to expose this puppet. Every province in Pakistan is with the PDM and the PDM won bye-elections in all four provinces, he said.

Bilawal said that this government is a threat for the system. he said that it was unfortunate that Imran Khan did not condemn the attack on PML-N parliamentarians. This attitude tells that Khan is neither a democrat nor political, he said. Using foul language and leveling accusations is the practice of Imran Khan. He said Imran Khan should have learned how to be a prime minister from Gillani, he said.

He said that Zardari has spent 13 years in jail on trumped up charges and 99 per cent cases have been proved false and the courts have exonerated him but whatever Imran Khan has done to the nation in three years cannot be exonerated by the people of Pakistan. “Zardari restored the constitution in its original form and given the provinces their rights, he said.

Bilawal said that for the last three years our laborers, growers and traders are being economically murdered by Imran Khan. They all celebrated our win in Islamabad. If we in PDM continue our struggle with the same hard work then the success will continue to be ours. This success will not be of any one party rather the entire people of Pakistan.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2021