Daily Times

PML-N Punjab President Rana Sanaullah on Saturday claimed that the opposition is in touch with ‘more than enough’ government lawmakers required to ‘abolish’ Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vote of confidence in the parliament.

“More people [MNAs] are ready to leave them [government] than required to foil vote of confidence in parliament,” the PML-N leader said while speaking to media after a court hearing in Lahore.

Sanaullah said after entering the ‘comfort zone,’ the PML-N along with other opposition parties will decide whether to move a no-trust motion in the Punjab Assembly or the National Assembly first. The PML-N leader said the ruling PTI’s lawmakers and its coalition partners no longer wanted to support the incumbent regime and contest the next general elections from its platform.

The PML-N leader said the government’s own members were “frustrated” with it and no longer wished to conduct politics or contest next elections alongside it. “The people who are with us are with us. Even if they have later talked about them (their talks) differently in front of the press, we don’t have a grievance about it,” Sanaullah said, possibly referring to the recent talks held between the PML-N and PML-Q leadership, following which PML-Q’s Moonis Elahi had publicly assured the premier that he did not need to worry about the meetings. While responding to a question, he said that if the PTI-led government is not wary of the opposition’s no-confidence bid then why it is planning to give ministries to its allies and woo them through development funds.

“This proves what they were saying [about us] was wrong … with the people’s prayers the no-confidence move will be successful.”

He also said the opposition was not looking towards any “umpire’s finger” – a reference to the establishment’s support – and demanded that no “finger” should interfere in the political process. “Politics is the job of political parties,” he added, stressing that all institutions should work within their constitutional limits. “If all institutions did this, then it would not make a difference whether a presidential or parliamentary system was present in the country,” Sanaullah said.

The PML-N lawmaker also lashed out at PM Imran’s speech in Mandi Bahauddin, claiming that the premier was concerned with crushing dissent and its critics such as Mohsin Jamil Baig and the opposition instead of focusing on issues of law and order in the country. Sanaullah also criticised the government for “failing to provide proof” in the accusations and cases registered against the opposition such as himself and PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif.

PML-N Information Secretary Marriyum Aurangzeb made similar comments as Sanaullah during a press conference in Lahore today. “The nation has rejected you,” she said while addressing the prime minister. “You will get to know how many of PTI’s people are left with you in the no-confidence motion. As for these remaining few rented spokespersons, not a single one will be standing with you when you lose the seat [of power].” Aurangzeb said the time had come for Prime Minister Imran to go home, predicting he would do so before the Pakistan Democratic Movement’s long march towards Islamabad on March 23.