Pakistan Oppn claims 16 MNAs sold trust vote to PM Imran Khan; others 'forced at gunpoint'

Alleging that Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan "forced lawmakers on gunpoint" to vote in his favour, Opposition leader Maryam Nawaz said the trust vote secured by him in the National Assembly has "no worth".

After the National Assembly (NA) session concluded on Saturday, Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) leader Maryam alleged that the PTI government turned the Parliament into a bunker, and government members were assigned to each of the 16 MNAs who had "sold their votes" in the Senate polls to ensure that Imran Khan wins the vote of confidence, Dawn reported.

"What worth does a vote have that you got by telling [MNAs] on gunpoint: 'Give me the vote or I won't spare you'?" she asked.

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Opposition rejects Imran Khan's trust vote

Pakistan Opposition has rejected the confidence vote cast in favour of the country's Prime Minister Imran Khan during a NA session, said Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman. Speaking to media in Sukkur, Rehman said that the Constitution clearly stated that the president can summon a session "if he believes that the prime minister does not hold majority."

Earlier in the day, Imran Khan won the trust vote after his party secured votes above a majority mark in the 342-member lower house of parliament. Khan had announced that he will be seeking a vote of confidence from the National Assembly after his Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh was defeated in the recent closely-fought Senate elections on Wednesday. Following this debacle, the Opposition had demanded the Prime Minister's resignation. However, he won by a majority. 

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"Here, the session was called over a summary by the fake prime minister. A summary is not involved in summoning such sessions, all of this is a drama," said the JUI-F chief, who is not part of the NA. "We don't accept today's Assembly session, nor do we accept the confidence vote."

Rehman, the chief of the opposition alliance PDM, alleged that MNAs were forced to vote for Prime Minister Imran. He urged the premier to "be courageous and ask the public to cast a vote of confidence [by] conducting a new election".

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In the 342-member House, 172 votes were needed for a simple majority, but the ruling coalition had 181 members, out of which 157 members were from Imran Khan's PTI. After the resignation Faisal Vowda, the government's strength became 180, whereas the opposition has 160 members in the House.

Imran Khan is the second Pakistani Prime Minister, after Nawaz Sharif, to seek a 'voluntary' vote of confidence in the National Assembly. 

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(With inputs from agency)