PM Shehbaz won’t take trust vote on someone’s request: Khawaja Asif

Picture source - AFP

Defense Minister Khawaja Asif stated that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif does not have to accept a vote of confidence from the National Assembly at someone else’s request.

He was certain that the party would be able to present entire numbers even if the PM was asked to conduct a trust vote.

The defence minister’s comments are in light of the demands from the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, who stated last week that PM Shehbaz will have to face a trust vote.

The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), whose votes are essential to retaining the existing prime minister in power, threatened to abandon the coalition government in the centre, which brought Khan’s demand to light.

He responded to a question from the media on Monday by saying that the Punjab Assembly’s dissolution poses no threat to the central government. Similar opinions were expressed by the minister in an interview with Shazeb Khanzada on his late Monday-night current affairs show.

He insisted that neither the PML-N had been harmed nor would it be trapped.

He said that things would have been different if the former chief minister of Punjab Hamza Shahbaz had been present during the vote of confidence in the Punjab Assembly.

In response to a question on the PTI’s return to the lower house, Khawaja Asif stated the party also did so in 2014, but with disgrace. He said, “If they return to the assembly, they have a right to address the house.”