Dismissing rumours of "hostages" and "horse trading", a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf MNA staying at the Sindh House Islamabad told Aaj News that they were staying there out of security concerns ahead of the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Aaj News journalist Asma Shirazi visited the Sindh House in Islamabad where she spoke to a bevvy of lawmakers, including PTI's Noor Alam Khan who dispelled the notion that they were being forced to stay at the Sindh House against their wishes.

"No one has forced us to be here. No one has paid us any money to vote for the no-trust vote," he told Aaj News while enjoying a meal.

"I have not taken a single penny for voting on the no-confidence move and I can swear it. We will vote according to the right granted to us in the Constitution,” he said.

Journalist Hamid Mir was another visitor to the Sindh House where he spoke to Raja Riaz, a PTI MNA of the Jahangir Tareen faction, who claimed that at least 24 MNAs of the ruling PTI were staying in the Sindh House.

They fear a security crackdown against them just like the one that took place on March 10 against the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam lawmakers in the Parliament Lodges, he told Mir.

Riaz added that the PTI leaders were willing to move to the Parliament Lodges if the prime minister guarantees that no action would be taken against them irrespective of their decision of voting for or against the no-confidence vote.

When asked whether the government was forcing its lawmakers to vote in favour of the prime minister in the motion, Riaz said: “I have been penalized because I always talk about issues faced by the public.”