PML-Q faces revolt as Tariq Bashir Cheema quits as federal minister

PML-Q leader also announces that he will vote against Imran Khan despite his party's support for prime minister

Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid's (PML-Q) Tariq Bashir Cheema on Monday resigned as the Federal Minister for Housing soon after top party leadership decided to support Prime Minister Imran Khan in the no-trust vote.

According to sources, Cheema had already informed his party's leadership regarding his resignation over his stance regarding the government, Express News reported.

They further stated that the lawmaker didn't want to support the PTI government unlike his party, which has been supporting the latter from the beginning.

The sources also said that the PML-Q leader had adopted a strong stance against the incumbent government, and he said that he won't retreat from his principled stance against them.

Meanwhile, Cheema also took to Twitter to endorse his decision, saying: "I will vote against [PM] Imran."

میرے ضمیر کی آواز ہے کہ میں عمران کے خلاف ووٹ دوں گا،

— Tariq Basheer Cheema (@TariqBashirMNA) March 28, 2022

Earlier today, embattled Prime Minister Imran Khan succeeded in wooing his estranged ally PML-Q to support him on the matter of no-confidence motion tabled against him by the joint opposition in the National Assembly.

Moreover, Premier Imran’s special assistant on political communication Shahbaz Gill said that Punjab Chief Minister Usman Bazdar had submitted his resignation to the prime minister who had decided in principle to nominate PML-Q senior leader Chaudhry Pervez Elahi as Punjab CM.

The much-anticipated session of the National Assembly to deliberate on the no-trust vote filed against the prime minister was adjourned till March 31 after Leader of Opposition in NA Shehbaz Sharif tabled the motion.

On March 25, the lower house of parliament was scheduled to take up the no-confidence motion, but following parliamentary traditions on the demise of a lawmaker, only Fateha was offered and speeches were given after which the NA speaker adjourned the session till today.

The opposition, which has 162 members, filed the on-trust motion on March 8. The motion said that Prime Minister Imran had lost the confidence of the house.