‘Right circumstances’ required for no-confidence motion: JUI-F

Shehbaz says decision will be taken with opposition parties’ consensus

LAHORE:

Responding to speculations about a vote of no-confidence against the incumbent government, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Secretary-General Abdul Ghafoor Haideri on Saturday said that the opposition might consider tabling the motion under the “right circumstances”.

Speaking to the media, the JUI-F leader said that as of now, the circumstances for the motion were not conducive, as the opposition lacked enough numbers due to the PPP and the Awami National Party (ANP) going about their separate ways.

However, he added, if the PPP wholeheartedly approaches the opposition and if the circumstances allow, they might consider tabling the said motion.

Commenting on rifts within the government’s ranks, Haideri said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) allies are also among the complainants, and even Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak has dissented. He said that this gives the opposition a “window of opportunity”.

Regarding the upcoming long march, the JUI-F said that his party would take out its march towards Islamabad on March 23 and if the constituent parties of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) agree, they can even “march towards Rawalpindi”. He, however, made it clear that the march would be peaceful. He added that success and failure are in the hands of the Almighty, and their job was to “strive for good”.

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In his remarks about the National Security Policy (NSP) released by the government, he said that it is pointless to make policies if they are not implemented, adding that policies were made in the past, but they could not bring peace to Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P). He further said that certain “policies” in the Constitution of Pakistan were not enforced either.

While JUI-F has maintained a neutral stance, PPP has so for refrained from showing any interest in re-joining the opposition alliance. Even PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari dismissed the possibility on January 11 when he was asked about the possibility of another alliance with the PDM.

On the other hand, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and Opposition Leader Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that a decision on no-confidence motion would be taken upon consensus between the opposition parties. He, however, took the opportunity to slam the mini-budget presented by the government, saying it was tantamount to “injustice with the people of Pakistan”, and pinned the country’s current situation on Prime Minister Imran Khan’s “incompetence, ineptness, and corruption”.

It is worth mentioning here that before the approval of the mini-budget by the National Assembly (NA), the opposition parties believed that the government’s allies would part ways with the ruling party due to public pressure, or would at least refrain from extending all-out support. If the government’s allies had acted according to the opposition’s expectations, they would have considered tabling a no-confidence motion.

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz had previously said that any “option” that could send the PTI-led government packing should be exercised. Maryam’s statement was taken by the media as a sign of her party’s willingness towards the no-confidence motion.