Islamabad: Adding more to the woes of the ruling PTI, MQM-P decided to join the opposition group and vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan in the no-trust motion in a late-night meeting with the leaders of the joint opposition.
The agreement was reached between the delegations of the MQM-P and the joint opposition. After the agreement, Opposition Leader in the Lower House and President of PMLN Shehbaz Sharif, former President Asif Ali Zardari, Chairman PPP Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, President PDM and chief of JUIF Maulana Fazlur Rehman arrived at the residence of Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui at Parliament Lodges.
The formal announcement of the agreement will be made after the approval of the Rabita Committee of the MQM.
However, PPP Secretary Information PPP Faisal Karim Kundi announced that a press conference will be held by the joint opposition on Wednesday (today).
Senior MQM-P leader Senator Faisal Subzwari took to Twitter to confirm the news of the agreement.
“The agreement between the United Opposition and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan has been finalized After the ratification of the proposed agreement by the PPP CEC, MQM Pakistan Coordinating Committee, the details will be informed to the official media tomorrow at 6 pm,” Senator Subzwari said in a tweet.
متحدہ اپوزیشن اور متحدہ قومی موومنٹ پاکستان کے درمیان معاہدہ نے حتمی شکل اختیار کر لی ہے
پیپلز پارٹی کی سی ای سی، ایم کیو ایم پاکستان کی رابطہ کمیٹی مجوزہ معاہدے کی توثیق کے بعد اس کی تفصیلات سے کل شام۴ بجے باضابطہ میڈیا کو آگاہ کیا جائے گا۔
@MQMPKOfficial @PPP_Org @pmln_org— Faisal Subzwari (@faisalsubzwari) March 29, 2022
Bilawal Congratulates Pakistan
Chairman Pakistan People’s Party Bilawal Bhutto Zardari congratulated Pakistan in a tweet and said the united opposition and MQM-P have reached an agreement.
The united opposition and MQM have reached an agreement. Rabta committee MQM & PPP CEC will ratify said agreement. We will then share details with the media in a press conference tomorrow IA. Congratulations Pakistan.
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) March 29, 2022
Number game in the parliament
With the decision of MQM-P to support the opposition in the no-trust motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, the ruling party has lost the number game on paper in the lower house.
With MQM-P going the other way, the government side now has 164 seats in the national assembly. The PTI has 155 members, PMLQ 4, GDA 3, BAP 1 (Zubaida Jalal) and AML 1.
On the other hand, the joint opposition has come on top before the national assembly sits to vote on the no-trust motion with 175 MNAs. The PMLN has 84, PPP 56, MQMP 7, MMA 14 (minus JI’s Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali), Independent 3 (minus Ali Wazir), PMLQ (Tariq Bashir Cheema) 1, ANP 1, BNPM 4, BAP 4 and JWP 1.