Facing an ensuing no-trust move, Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Monday that he was not worried at all about the no-confidence motion against him as the situation is quite satisfactory.
While chairing a meeting of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) core committee, which was summoned to devise a strategy in light of the uncertain political situation prevailing in the country, he said that the government will emerge victorious.
The prime minister who is also chairman of the PTI, said that the government was prepared to defeat the no-confidence motion and every decision will be taken with due consultation.
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“The opposition is in haste as they want the graft cases against them closed but it’s not going to happen as long as I’m here,” he added.
The participants of the meeting were told that the government was in no hurry to summon the National Assembly session. However, according to rules, the speaker needs to convene the session within 14 days of submission of the motion.
It was further said that the allies were standing with the government, and that the government lawmakers were being offered millions in return for voting against Imran.
During the meeting, Planning Minister Asad Umar briefed about contacts with allied parties while Babar Awan briefed the party leadership on legal aspects. The provincial presidents of the PTI briefed the core committee about organisational matters.
It was decided to pursue an aggressive strategy of “exposing the corrupt clique” by continuing the countrywide political gathering.
In a post-meeting briefing to media, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that the PTI core committee expressed full confidence in the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
He said the core committee condemned the tactics being employed by the opposition parties to allegedly promote horse-trading in the house.
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He said that Imran was fighting against multiple conspiracies, adding at the end of the day, it will be Imran Khan who will emerge victorious.
“Pakistan, under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan, has emerged as a country with an independent foreign policy and so many other things, which no one could have done except PM Khan,” he added.
He added that the opposition will be surprised with PTI moves, saying the party is fully prepared to deal with the opposition and the day is not far when they will be left with no other option but to lick the dust.
He expressed optimism that all the allied parties – Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), and Pakistan Muslim League - Quaid-e-Azam (PML-Q) would remain part of the PTI’s alliance.
He said that the entire party including leadership and its parliamentarians had reposed full confidence in the prime minister and resolved that only he could lead the country in this critical time.
He said those, who offered bribe to the PTI’s legislators, did not dare to repeat the practice after it was brought into the knowledge of the ruling party’s leadership.
He said that March 21, 22, and 23 will be of sheer importance due to meeting of foreign ministers of members’ states of Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), adding it was suggested that the session should not coincide with the event.
He said the huge crowd at recent public meetings of the prime minister had once again proved that not only the PTI was a federal party, but PM Imran was a national leader.
By seeing such a huge crowd in the “jalsas” (public meetings) of the prime minister, the opposition parties’ leaders were trembling with fear, he added.
Taking a dig at Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari for “illegally” spending resources of the Sindh government, he said his “short march” got a lukewarm response from Punjab.
“Those who want to compete with us should first see where the public stand,” he said, throwing challenge to the opposition leaders to hold a single public meeting in a way the prime minister did by pulling massive crowd.
He took exception to the opposition leaders including Shehbaz Sharif, Asif Zardari, and others for orchestrating a campaign against Prime Minister Imran Khan and the PTI government on his foreign policy initiatives.
He ruled out any NRO like-concession to the opposition leaders, saying the prime minister would not bow before their tactics.
To a query, he said Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain was like a brother to the prime minister. The PML-Q supported the PTI from the beginning and their support in future would be crucial.
The story was originally published in Business Recorder on March 15, 2022.
