ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Monday, expressed the confidence that the government would defeat the opposition’s no-confidence motion against Primer Minister Imran Khan with the support of its coalition partners and also accused the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) of horse-trading to buy treasury lawmakers.

Qureshi, who is also vice chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), told a media briefing that his party has complete trust in its coalition partners, adding that the leadership of the allied parties are seasoned politicians who cannot be “tricked” by the opposition parties.

The statement of the foreign minister comes following the joint opposition intensified the efforts to woo Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), the Grand Democratic Alliance, and the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) to support the no-confidence move against the prime minister.

“As a political worker, I believe that all our allies stand by the government and I have complete trust in them. They have supported us at various difficult times and we were, are and will remain thankful to them,” Qureshi said, adding that it is every party’s right to meet others and listen to their point of view. “But they understand everything what the opposition wanted to do. Don’t forget that there are people who are telling us as to what are you offering to them,” he further asked the opposition.

He stated with confidence that the opposition would face disappointment in trying to win over the government coalition partners.

Qureshi also asked PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari not to drag state institutions into politics, while referring to his Sunday’s presser, in which, he urged the judiciary and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to play their role in protecting the right to vote of every parliamentarian on the no-confidence motion.

“We are well aware of the Constitution and committed to the oath we have sworn in. When you talk about implication of the Article 6, did you forget how your party used money to buy loyalties of the parliamentarians,” he asked Bilawal, while referring to Senate elections.

He further accused the PPP leadership is resorting to undemocratic and unconstitutional tactics and offering money to buy the loyalties of the lawmakers to vote for the no-confidence motion.

Qureshi also lashed out at the joint opposition, particularly, the PML-N, the PPP, and the JUI-F, terming this as an “unholy alliance” and a “marriage of convenience”, adding that they have only gathered to remove the prime minister with no declared future plan how to run the country and its economy.

“I would also ask Bilawal whether he has merged the PPP ideology with Maulana [Fazlur Rehman],” he asked, adding that the PML-N has its own ideology and those who believe that Maryam Nawaz would be the future leader are “living in a fool’s paradise”.

Qureshi further said that all the three opposition parties had nothing in common and the government would defeat their move in a political, democratic, and constitutional manner. He claimed that the opposition alliance would break apart due to the lack of a common ideology.

“As they have the only agenda to remove the prime minister of which the people are well aware as to why they are doing this. Because they are afraid of him,” he further maintained.

The foreign minister also questioned the opposition to tell the nation as to how the uncertainty will benefit the country’s economy, business and diplomatic environment and the efforts for averting humanitarian and economic crisis in Afghanistan.

“What signal are they sending to our eastern neighbour [India],” he asked the opposition, adding that a missile was fired recently which they stated was due to “technical malfunction” and it was “accidental”.

The foreign minister maintained that there is complete clarity in the government and its institutions about what was better for the country’s national interest, adding that they would move forward accordingly.

He further stated that the 48th session of the OIC’s Council of Foreign Ministers will be held in Islamabad from March 22-23, adding that all the preparations for the moot have been completed.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022