
Maulana Fazlur Rehman. Photo courtesy JUIF
Statement issued after meeting of party leaders claims final date for tabling motion in Parliament delayed due to poor health of PMLN president
Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman on Thursday reiterated claims that the opposition will table a no-confidence motion against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)-led government within a “day or two,” maintaining that a draft had been prepared that had the support of a majority of lawmakers.
Addressing media in Islamabad after a meeting with Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, which also included the participation of Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) President Shahbaz Sharif via telephone, he hoped that the government’s allied parties would join the opposition in ousting the PTI from power.
Meanwhile, a joint statement issued after the meeting stopped short of specifying any date for tabling the no-confidence motion, maintaining that consultations were underway to finalize it. It said that the final date for the motion had been delayed as Sharif was currently ill and could not fully participate in the meeting.
The statement also claimed that the opposition had consulted with legal experts on the no-confidence motion and that its draft text had been discussed in depth.
According to sources, the opposition is ready to table the no-confidence motion but it is unlikely to happen before next week, when the PPP’s ‘Awami Long March’ is also set to reach the federal capital. They said that the “deadlock” between the PDM and the PPP over when to proceed for general elections if Prime Minister Imran Khan is ousted had also ended, noting that PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had already claimed the party wanted fresh polls as soon as electoral reforms have been achieved.
Also on Thursday, members of the opposition told media they now had the support of enough lawmakers, including dissident members of the ruling party, to oust the PTI-led government and would requisition a National Assembly session “shortly.”