Staff Reporter
Lahore
Five key leaders of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), including PDM chairman Maulana Fazlur Rehman, have opposed the suggestion of proposing a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan in the National Assembly.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Mahmood Khan Achakzai, Sajid Mir, Abdul Malik Baloch and Owais Noorani have opposed the in-house change. Most leaders have also demanded to convene a summit meeting of PDM leadership.
On the other hand Bilawal Bhutto, Akhtar Mengal and Aftab Ahmed Sherpao have voiced support for an in-house change.
Meanwhile, addressing a press conference in Lahore, the PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal on Saturday asked Pakistan People’s Party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari to “show numbers” to back up his suggestion of a no-confidence motion against the incumbent government, He said, “As far as the PML-N’s thinking is concerned, we think if Bilawal Bhutto sahab has the numbers to bring a no-confidence motion then he should certainly show them.”
“We saw [previously] in the Senate where we had the [majority] numbers but [despite that] the no-confidence motion was not successful so there is only one path we should follow, and that is to pursue a decisive long march against this government.”
He said the PPP’s suggestion of a no-confidence motion was an old one but added that members of the Pakistan Democratic Movement alliance “deliberate on their suggestions and take decisions through consensus of opinion”.
Iqbal was responding to the PPP chairman’s comments where Bilawal had hinted at the possibility of ousting the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf government through a no-confidence motion and said all member parties of PDM would be convinced to use this option and reach consensus on the issue.
“The move to bring a motion is basically a deceit to which PML-N will not become a part of,” he said adding that even the party supremo Nawaz Sharif was not in favour of bringing a no-confidence motion.
Iqbal said that the government brings up issues like Panama and Broadsheet to divert attention.
“After crying Panama, Panama they came into power through election rigging, and now they want to divert attention from their failures by raising a hue and cry about Broadsheet,” he said. Referring to Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed’s categorisation of the matter as “Panama 2”, he said that the Panama Papers case — that led to the disqualification of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif — was a “fraud” and “so is Broadsheet”.
