Ministers mull over counterstrategy to foil no-trust move

Decide in meeting to contact PML-N, PPP lawmakers in Punjab, K-P

ISLAMABAD:

The government members met on Friday to mull over the much-hyped no-confidence motion plan, discussing various options to thwart any such move, while a nine-member opposition committee began its work to give the proposal a final shape.

An important meeting of government ministers was held in Islamabad with National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser in the chair to discuss the counterstrategy to foil the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, if tabled in the National Assembly.

According to sources, it was decided in the meeting that no treasury member would attend the session if the motion was moved. The meeting also decided to establish contacts with the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmakers.

The sources added that the ministers were directed to contact the PML-N and PPP members individually. In this regard, the meeting assigned important tasks to the federal ministers to contact opposition lawmakers from Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.

The sources also said that the meeting resolved that no government member would attend the National Assembly session if there was a no-confidence motion against the speaker or the deputy speaker. They added that Prime Minister Imran had been informed about the decisions taken in the meeting.

Top leadership of the major opposition parties – the PPP, the PML-N and the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) alliance – have stepped up consultation this week to finalise the no-confidence move. They had formed a nine-member committee to firm up the proposal.

The committee began its work on Friday. Opposition sources said that the committee would sort out any political, constitutional or legal issues and find ways to remove obstacles, besides firming up the proposal for the date of tabling the motion.

The meeting also considered a constitutional question, as to how to protect the treasury members from horse-trading laws as well as disqualification in the event of their support for the no-confidence motion, the sources added.

The opposition comprised senior opposition leaders, who understood legal and constitutional issues. In case of the motion, the opposition will need the support of at least 172 National Assembly members (MNAs) to win. At present, the government has 179 MNAs and the opposition coalition has 162.