-FM confirms PM’s decision for vote of confidence
-Says nation will now know as to who is standing on which side
-Claims Senate results have confirmed ‘horse-trading’
-Laments ECP responsible to hold free & fair polls
-Gillani beats Hafeez to win fiercely contested seat
By Ajmal Khan Yousafzai
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan will take a vote of confidence from the Parliament after the federal coalition-backed candidate Hafeez Shaikh lost Senate seat from Islamabad, announced Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
“The prime minister has announced to take a vote of confidence from the Parliament,” he said while addressing a presser alongside the federal ministers. “The nation will now know as to who is standing on which side,” Shah Mahmood Qureshi said.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi said that the Senate results have boosted their narrative that a market was established by the opposition to buy votes. “Imran Khan’s narrative has proved true,” he said adding that Khan had in the past took action against 20 KP lawmakers over selling their votes. The foreign minister said that the government tried all its efforts to pave way for Senate elections, however, the opposition foiled all such attempts. He further lamented that the ECP was responsible to hold free and fair polls, however,
it failed in performing its duty. Speaking on the occasion, Asad Umar said that they even did not wait for a day and announced the decision to take confidence from the Parliament within hours.
“Pakistan’s politics is divided into two factions right now, on one hand, there is Imran Khan who wanted to make the country as per the vision of Quaid-e-Azam and Allama Iqbal while on the other there are those whose politics is based on their money,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Wednesday announced that newly elected Senator Yousuf Raza Gilani would be the candidate for the Senate chairman and they would get him elected on the slot.
Speaking alongside PDM’s candidate Yousuf Raza Gilani, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that whatever injustice or suppression they had gone through, it has been proved that democracy is the best revenge. “Everyone has seen the result of no-confidence in the government’s policies,” he said adding that the prime minister [Imran Khan] should now resign.
“We will now be attacking the incumbent government from every side and will send them packing as soon as possible,” the PPP chairman said.
Speaking on the occasion, Yousuf Raza Gilani thanked all parties of the PDM for supporting him in securing a win on the Senate seat. “PDM won all the Senate elections besides also winning the key seat of Senate from Islamabad,” he said adding that PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif has congratulated him on the win and they would visit Shahbaz Sharif to meet him soon.
It is pertinent to mention here that the former Prime Minister and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) stalwart Yousuf Raza Gilani won Wednesday his senate seat from Islamabad where he was vying against Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf’s (PTI) Hafeez Shaikh for which the polling was conducted in the National Assembly. According to the polling count, PPP’s runner bagged 169 NA votes against Hafeez’s 164. A total of 7 votes was rendered rejected in the assembly.
