PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah has blamed the Federal Minister for Water Resources Moonis Elahi for the PML-Q’s last-minute decision to accept the premier’s offer of the Punjab chief minister seat in a tit-for-tat move to support the government on the no-confidence vote.

“Chaudhry Sb [Pervazi Elahi] will not be allowed to become the Punjab CM on the PTI ticket at any cost. The House has more votes of PPP and PML-N,” he said while talking to reporters in Islamabad Tuesday .

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 its chief ministerial candidate for Punjab after Usman Buzdar steps down from the post hours after the opposition tabled the no-trust move against him in the Punjab Assembly. The PML-Q also announced its support for PM in the no-confidence motion.

Sanaullah also shared the details of their meetings with the PML-Q leadership. “Moonis Elahi said: ‘if you give us the chief ministership, then it's fine. Otherwise, we will sit silently and cannot do anything beyond that',” Sana said while quoting his conversation with the water resources minister.

He added the opposition had pleaded with Moonis to step down as minister because the 10 vote difference was “difficult” for them to manage.

The PML-N leader added that the opposition had officially accepted such an offer after consultation and a nod from the party’s supreme leader Nawaz Sharif.

“We made this offer to the PML-Q and Chaudhry Sb [Pervez Elahi] had officially accepted it and officially thanked us after which we had dinner,” he said, adding that Pervez Elahi had suggested the tabling of the no-confidence motion against Buzdar in the Punjab Assembly as the government would try to dissolve it when the news about his allegiance would come out.

He added that the opposition had accepted and did the same. However, he said the lawmaker who was supposed to table it was a bit late. “Chaudhry Sb [Pervez Elahi] telephoned me that the motion was not yet tabled and at around 9:45am it was submitted,” Sanaullah said, “And after this, it came to light that Pervez went to the government and talked to them.”

He said that this was the first such incident of reneging on his promise in the Chaudhrys political career. "I think this is because of Moonis Elahi or else the Chaudhrys would never taken such decisions.”

Moreover, he claimed that the ruling party would not be able to make Pervez Elahi the Punjab chief minister as the opposition had the required numbers in Punjab.

“There is an Aleem Khan group and they have 30-40 MPs. There is the Tareen group and they have also 10-12 people. Then there is the Cheema faction, which has also 10-12 people. And, the opposition will use it against anyone and now there is a new group called Buzdar group.”

Sanaullah claimed that the opposition has more than 165 votes in the Punjab Assembly and they would only need 10-12 votes to bring a new CM or de-seat anyone. He added that the opposition would use the PTI dissidents' vote “if needed” so that they don't have to face proceedings under Article 63-A of the Constitution.

He also lauded government allies MQM-P for taking the right stance in negotiating with both the opposition and the government for their constituency demands.

Sanaullah also dismissed allegations pertaining to having sacks of money to lure dissidents.

“The united opposition has managed to get 172 votes and if we start including those [the PTI dissidents], then the count will go beyond 192-195,” he said, “Yesterday when the leave was granted we had 161 votes. With the arrival of Jam Karim, Ali Wazir, and Aslam Bhootani, out tally will go up to 164. We have three votes of PML-Q, four of BAP and two independent candidates.”