PM no longer in position to elect Punjab CM: Siddiqui

PML-N senator claims Imran Khan has lost the scope of bargaining within Punjab


Rizwan Shehzad   March 13, 2022
A 12-member panel, headed by Adviser to PM on NHLH Irfan Siddiqui, was constituted by PM. PHOTO: FILE

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ISLAMABAD:

PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui on Sunday has said that Prime Minister Imran Khan's options are rapidly running out as the premier is no longer in a position to elect a chief minister from Punjab if Usman Buzdar is ousted.

In a conversation with a private TV channel, the PML-N senator claimed that the trajectory of the no-trust motion was no longer “a matter of removing Usman Buzdar but rather a matter of electing a new chief minister".

Siddiqui furthered that that even if the PM came under pressure and removed Buzdar, he will not be in a position to elect Chaudhry Pervez Elahi or "anyone else" due to a lack of majority in the House.

“Currently, in a House of 371, PTI with its 184 members has the support of 10 members of the PML-Q and one member of the Rah-e-Haq Party, as the total number of pro-PTI members is 195,” Senator Siddiqui explained.

He added that the opposition consisted of 165 members of the PML-N and seven members of the PPP, making a total of 172 members.

“The difference between the opposition and the government is only 17 members. In order to elect a CM of their liking, the ruling party will require at least 186 members which they do not have,” he added.

Read: More lawmakers back CM Buzdar

The PML-N senator claimed that even with 15 votes from the PML-Q and Rah-e-Haq, the ruling party will still require 171 members, “which are not available to them in the current situation”.

“Because there are many factions in the PTI, including Tareen and Aleem groups, each faction has its own goal but they will ultimately unite against the candidate nominated by Khan,” the opposition senator stated.

In response to a question regarding the powers of the premier, he said that at present Imran Khan has lost the scope of any kind of bargaining within Punjab.

He furthered that the coalition partners could sense the PM’s position, saying, the “PML-Q has realised that Khan sahib can no longer give anything to anyone in Punjab.”

COMMENTS (6)

Jesus Raza Washington USA | 2 years ago | Reply Dawn News Paper editorial today DEMOCRACY is noisy and that s the beauty of it. However it can get messy when those in power start using the state machinery and resort to violence to suppress their opponents. My reply This is an extremely bad out look Published by Dawn News Paper Instead Dawn should have written Opposition should never have brought thier Private Militia to Nation s Capitol lodges a designated Places for MNA and MPA Opposition needs to be law abiding and not reflect and showing off their Militia Power wherever they Travel to Including at the lodges of the Nations Capitol These MNA MPA lodges high Protocol residences and are not designed for street Hooligans
Jesus Raza Washington USA | 2 years ago | Reply Dawn News Paper editorial today DEMOCRACY is noisy and that s the beauty of it. However it can get messy when those in power start using the state machinery and resort to violence to suppress their opponents. My reply This is an extremely bad out look Published by Dawn News Paper Instead Dawn should have written Opposition should never have brought thier Private Militia to Nation s Capitol lodges a designated Places for MNA and MPA Opposition needs to be law abiding and not reflect and showing off their Malitia Power wherever they Travel to Including at the lodges of the Nations Capitol These MNA MPA lodges high Protocal residences and are not designed for street Hooligans
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