“I Can’t Rule Like Rats”, Imran Khan Opts Vote-of-Confidence

After losing Islamabad’s hot-seat to PDM in the Senate elections, Prime Minister Imran Khan has thrown another challenge at the opposition as he has decided to take a vote of confidence from the National Assembly (NA).

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has emerged as the biggest party in the Senate elections with 18 seats followed by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) with eight seats.

However, the ruling party lost the seat in Islamabad to the joint candidate of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), Yusuf Raza Gillani.

The opposition candidate secured 169 votes to win the contest while Hafeez Shaikh got 164.

The ruling party originally enjoyed the support of 180 MNAs but even Fozia Arshad, the winner on Islamabad’s reserved seat for women, received only 174 votes.

The victory on the general chair of the federal capital was deemed a watershed and PTI lost it.

After the results were announced, addressing a press conference in Islamabad, the Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that Imran Khan will take a vote of confidence from the lower house.

According to Geo News, the session of NA has been summoned today.

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The political analysts see it as a smart-move by Khan besides a moral one.

Prime Minister Imran Khan in a statement said that lack of confidence in Hafeez Shaikh was analogous to no-confidence in the government.

“I cannot rule like rats. Those who do not have confidence in me should manifest it openly”, he said.

Following the overwhelming victory of Gillani, Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz in a tweet said public representatives have retrieved the fake mandate from the government.

اللّہ تعالی کا شکر جس نے PDM کو فتح دی۔
جعلی مینڈیٹ عوام کے نمائندوں نے واپس چھین لیا-اپنے ہی لوگوں نے دباؤ کے باوجود آٹا چور،چینی چور،بجلی چور،ووٹ چور عوام کے مجرم عمران خان کو ووٹ دینے سے انکار کر دیا۔تمھارے پاس اب وزیر اعظم ہاؤس پر قابض رہنے کا کوئی جواز نہیں۔ووٹ چور کرسی چھوڑ

— Maryam Nawaz Sharif (@MaryamNSharif) March 3, 2021

Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto recalled that the Prime Minister had promised to dissolve the assembly on losing the general seat of Islamabad.

“What is stopping him now?”, he added.

The PM had promised to dissolve the assembly if he lost the Islamabad Senate seat. He lost. We won. Now what’s stopping him? Is Kaptaaan scared of elections?

— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) March 3, 2021

PDM Chief Maulana Fazl-ur-Rehman criticized the premier and said that he should not do drama of vote of confidence. “ He has option than to step down”, he added.

The move by the premier has been hailed by journalists and those who keep an eye on politics. They see it as another challenge for the opposition that somehow managed to rip Islamabad’s general seat from PTI.

Notably, the vote-of-confidence will be taken through open ballot.