Fawad terms baseless rumors of 29 PTI MNAs willing to jump ship

Statement comes days following reports that PTI lawmakers were in contact with PML-N

Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has termed baseless the rumours that there was a group of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers willing to join the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

The denial comes days following reports that there existed a list of 29 lawmakers from the ruling party who were interested in joining PML-N.

Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had stated to media said that he personally knew 22 parliamentarians from the ruling party who were willing to jump ship.

While speaking on a television talk show on Monday, Abbasi said that these members of parliament had come to realize that they had no political future while remaining with PTI.

He added that these parliamentarians had approached the PML-N leadership but had not come forward in public for fear of a “telephone call”.

Abbasi said that these members of parliament would come forward once this fear was removed. Referring to the mini-budget, the former prime minister said that only time would tell whether it gets approval in parliament or not.

On the same talk show, Federal Information Minister Fawad Chaudhary rejected these claims and said that such rumours had been circulating for many years.

He said that PML-N had made claims that parliamentarians from rival parties had contacted them to join them, but in the end they had lost their own members.

Chaudhary further said that despite having a majority in the senate, PML-N could not even change the chairman of the senate.

He added that the government would be successful in getting the mini budget passed in the National Assembly without any hassle.