Daily Times

As the government scrambles to saves its alliance following the submission of the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, Punjab Assembly Speaker and PML-Q leader Pervaiz Elahi Tuesday said that all the PTI allies are “100% inclined” towards the opposition.

“It is Khan sahab’s duty to reverse the tilt. But I believe the time to send delegations [for assuring support] has passed. Had he done this earlier, this could have been avoided,” the speaker, whose party is an ally of the PTI in the Centre and Punjab, told a private TV channel. The speaker termed the alliance of the three Opposition major parties – JUI-F, PML-N, and PPP – as lasting and stable, just weeks before a session to vote on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan is called.

The government’s key ally in the Centre, the Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA), Monday assured PM Imran Khan of complete support ahead of the no-trust motion, while other allies – BAP, MQM-P, and PML-Q – are still indecisive. The statement comes just hours after PM Imran Khan said the entire nation was ready to go down with him rather than supporting the “three stooges”, as he slammed the Opposition amid rising political tensions.

Separately, PML-Q President Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain on Tuesday urged the government and the Opposition to postpone their public gatherings as the economic and political situation cannot afford it. Calling it a “dangerous” confrontation as it could have economic repercussions for the country, the PML-Q president warned that the country’s internal and external enemies could take advantage of the prevailing situation to fulfil their nefarious designs. Talking to journalists, Shujaat said, “People are worried due to the ongoing number game between the government and the Opposition as well as the public gatherings taking place in the country.” “The Opposition’s politics is reliant on public meetings,” he said, adding that it is not appropriate for the government to hold public gatherings in retaliation. Shujaat warned that political competition can create anarchy and chaos in the country, as he urged both sides not to show their workers the path of provocative politics. Without making it a matter of ego, both sides should take part in the polling on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, he advised the PTI and the Opposition.

Reacting to the PML-Q’s president’s statement, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said that the purpose of the PTI holding public meetings in Islamabad is not meant for confrontation with any political party. Taking to his Twitter handle, the minister said that the PML-Q president is a dignified personality and the prime minister always has regard for him. “We do not engage in political extremism, nor do we believe in confrontation,” he added.

The foundation of the PTI’s politics, he said, was democracy and the opinion of the people was paramount to it. The minister said that if the Opposition wants to hold a peace rally, then the government would welcome it and will provide all kinds of facilities. In a democracy, public opinion was the real decision, and public meetings were an important means of expressing that opinion, he added.