Daily Times

A rift has developed in the PML-Q on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan after a party leader resigned from his post as federal minister. Just minutes after the no-confidence motion was tabled against the prime minister in the National Assembly, Federal Minister for Housing and Works Tariq Bashir Cheema stepped down. Cheema had earlier sought permission from the party president Ch Shujaat Hussain to step down as federal minister. On Monday, the former prime minister allowed him. “I have also decided to vote in favour of the no-confidence motion against the prime minister […] I am not sure what the party will decide, but Chaudhry Shujaat and Pervaiz Elahi will make the same decision,” Cheema told a news channel after the development. He said the federal government had failed to bring stability to the democratic institutions. He maintained the government had also failed to address serious issues of governance in the provinces. However, he has not resigned as a member of NA. It is noteworthy that another member of PML-Q leader – Moonis Elahi – is part of the federal cabinet and holds the portfolio of water resources.

A rift has developed in the PML-Q on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan after a party leader resigned from his post as federal minister. Just minutes after the no-confidence motion was tabled against the prime minister in the National Assembly, Federal Minister for Housing and Works Tariq Bashir Cheema stepped down. Cheema had earlier sought permission from the party president Ch Shujaat Hussain to step down as federal minister. On Monday, the former prime minister allowed him. “I have also decided to vote in favour of the no-confidence motion against the prime minister […] I am not sure what the party will decide, but Chaudhry Shujaat and Pervaiz Elahi will make the same decision,” Cheema told a news channel after the development. He said the federal government had failed to bring stability to the democratic institutions. He maintained the government had also failed to address serious issues of governance in the provinces. However, he has not resigned as a member of NA. It is noteworthy that another member of PML-Q leader – Moonis Elahi – is part of the federal cabinet and holds the portfolio of water resources.

However, he has not resigned yet. Meanwhile, Special Assistant to the PM on Political Communication (SAPM) Shahbaz Gill has claimed that the PML-Q will support PM Imran Khan amid the no-confidence motion against him. “PTI will support Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi as a candidate for the chief minister [in Punjab] and the PML-Q has announced to support the PM amid the no-confidence motion,” Gill said. The statement came after Imran Khan met the Punjab Assembly Speaker Elahi, a top leader of the PML-Q, at Bani Gala just as the National Assembly approved to table the no-trust motion against the premier. Subsequently, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib said Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar had tendered his resignation.

The decision to tender his resignation came hours after the joint opposition submitted a no-confidence motion against him in the Punjab Assembly.

Habib also confirmed Gill’s announcement of the prime minister nominating PML-Q’s Elahi for the top spot in Punjab.

Later, PML-Q’s leader Moonis Elahi – son of Pervaiz Elahi – confirmed that the post had been accepted by his father.

The following is the image of Tariq Bashir Cheema’s resignation.

Meanwhile, Cheema also took to Twitter to endorse his decision, saying, “I will vote against [PM] Imran.”

The opposition, which has 162 members, filed the on-trust motion on March 8. The motion said that Prime Minister Imran had lost the confidence of the house.