LAHORE: In a surprise move by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its allies, Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Pervaiz Elahi has successfully obtained vote of confidence.

Speaker Punjab Assembly Sabtain Khan announced that Chief Minister Punjab has taken 186 votes.

Opposition boycott the session as their demand of the presence of their representative in the counting was not fulfilled by the speaker.

PML (N) leaders Rana Sanaullah Khan, Ataullah Tarar and Malik Ahmed Khan while talking to media out side the Punjab Assembly rejected the whole process of taking vote of confidence. They alleged that the government had not the required numbers that’s why the speaker rejected their demand of making opposition part of counting process. While answering a question Rana Sanaullah said that in this type of situation which was observed in the Punjab Assembly federal government may think of imposing governor rule in Punjab.

Most senior leaders of PTI want Punjab PA to be dissolved this month

Earlier, PTI Vice President Fawad Chaudhry said in a Twitter message that PTI and its allies completed the number of 187 lawmakers in the Punjab Assembly ahead of the vote of confidence.

Moreover, in a conversation with a private television channel, Fawad said that a total of 185 lawmakers of the PTI and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) were present in the session, while two members were on their way to the assembly.

The former federal information minister said the two lawmakers were on their way to the session from Chakwal and Bahawalpur, respectively, and once “they are in the assembly, Elahi will take the vote of confidence”. The development comes after the Lahore High Court (LHC) gave a ruling that the “governor is empowered to ask the chief minister to take a vote of confidence during an ongoing session” — a notion that the PTI had strongly rejected time and again.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2023