No-confidence motion tabled against PTI, JI in Charsadda assembly

Power wrangling in district seen as litmus test of ruling coalition’s strength

SHABQADAR: A coalition of Awami National Party (ANP) Jamiat Ulema Islam –Fazal (JUI-F) and Qaumi Watan Party (QWP ) in Charsadda district assembly have presented vote of no confidence motion on Friday.

The voting will be held on August 21, despite protest by the ruling parties that some of their members were not present

The motion is being seen as a litmus test for the strength of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) provincial government.

Opposition leader in the district assembly Qasim Ali Muhammad Zai and QWP parliamentary leader Arif Paracha have accused PTI Charsadda Nazim Fahad Riaz and JI Naib Nazim Musawir Shah for corruption and taking kickbacks in development schemes and demanded and inquiry against them.



However, when the motion was tabled, PTI and JI member started shouting that it was a planned conspiracy. They said that some of their members were out of the country for performing Hajj and therefore the motion should be delayed.

Presiding officer of the session, Haji Hidayat Ullah called for voting on August 21.

In Friday’s session opposition showed the required 50 members in the house of 75 members and they were optimistic that they would succeed in the no-confidence motion.

Earlier in July, as the first outcome of ending of QWP and PTI alliance, the earlier had submitted no confidence motion against PTI district Nazim and JI naib Nazim in district Charsadda.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 19^th, 2017.