The coalition partners of the ruling party have taken centre stage as the government and opposition try to make them their pillar of strength during the vote of no-confidence, which was tabled against Prime Minister Imran Khan in the National Assembly on Monday.

Special Assistant to the PM on Political Communication Shahbaz Gill on Monday announced that the government would support PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervez Elahi as a chief ministerial candidate for Punjab after Usman Buzdar stepped down from the post only hours after the opposition tabled a no-trust move against him in the Punjab Assembly. The PML-Q also announced its support for PM in the no-confidence motion.

Reacting to the development, Science and Technology Minister Shibli Faraz had said: “The opposition's game is over.” Though, the development also resulted in the resignation of PML-Q leader Tariq Bashir Cheema, who took the decision “in the interest of people suffering from inflation.” Bashir was serving as the federal minister of housing and works in the federal cabinet.

After this, rumours were rife that there were rifts within PML-Q and former prime minister Chaudhry Shujaat was apparently not satisfied with the decision. But the Q-league quashed all rumours, saying that all the leaders were united under the leadership of Shujaat.

“The Q-league believes in intra-party democracy. Tariq Bashir Cheema’s resignation from the ministry is his personal decision. Chaudhry Pervez Elahi will take party leaders into confidence on his meeting with PM Imran,” PML-Q Information Secretary Khawaja Ramiz Hasan was quoted as saying in a statement.

Moreover, Aaj News reported that Tareen lauded the development. In a statement, the party said the government has made a move for talks with the “minus-Buzdar” move. The group, which has estranged PTI leaders, is about to meet on Tuesday (today) at 6 pm to deliberate on the political situation.

In a related development, sources said the PTI has also offered the ports and shipping ministry to the MQM-P as part of its efforts to woo allies. They added that the Sindh based party has so far not given any final nod to the offer.

However, the government had a major blow on Monday when another coalition partner the Balochistan Awami Party decided to part ways with them and decided to support the opposition’s no-trust move. BAP, who had help topple the PML-N government in 2018, said that the reason for taking such a decision was the “lack of attention from the government” on resolving the province’s issues.

Amidst this, the united opposition – except PPP – conducted its public gathering in Islamabad and claimed that they were all set to oust the premier.

The opposition power show was addressed by PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz and Leader of the Opposition in Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz and other leaders. The PML-N had started the march from Lahore on March 26 that reached Islamabad on Monday.

“The prime minister has sacrificed his main pillar in Punjab – Chief Minister Usman Buzdar – in order to save himself. You pushed your most trustworthy man [Buzdar] into the water to save your own rule. We have not seen such an ungrateful man in our whole lives. He also sacrificed PTI leader Jehangir Tarin,” Maryam said.