Imran Khan no-trust vote: PTI tries to woo ally MQM-P; offers Ministry & Governor post

After garnering PML(Q)'s support for the no-confidence motion against Pakistan PM Imran Khan, PTI made last-ditch attempts to woo another ally MQM-P. A high-level delegation of the party comprising Ministers Asad Umar, Pervez Khattak, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Sindh Governor Imran Ismail met the MQM-P leadership for nearly two and a half years on Monday night. As per sources, the ruling party has decided to offer the Maritime Affairs portfolio in the federal government which is currently held by Ali Haider Zaidi to MQM-P.

Moreover, sources added that this key ally has also been offered the post of the Sindh Governor. With 4 MPs of BAP and Federal Minister Tariq Bashir Cheema deciding to side with the opposition, MQM-P might play a crucial role in determining the outcome of the no-trust motion. On March 27, JWP chief Nawabzada Shahzain Bugti, who was serving as the Prime Minister’s Special Assistant on Reconciliation and Harmony in Balochistan, joined the opposition ranks. In the scenario that Khan is voted out of power, PML(N) president Shehbaz Sharif is tipped to be the next PM of Pakistan. 

No-trust vote against Imran Khan

After completing three and a half years in power, the Imran Khan-led government is under fire over the surging inflation, increasing debt, misgovernance and mishandling of foreign policy which is reflected in the stalling of CPEC projects and US President Joe Biden's snub. On March 8, Pakistan's main opposition parties filed a no-confidence motion against Khan. As PTI has only 155 members in the 342-member National Assembly, the government's survival depends on the support of allies such as MQM-P (7 seats), BAP (5 seats), PML(Q) (5 seats), GDA (3 seats), AML (1 seat), JWP (1 seat) and 2 Independents. 

On the other hand, the opposition has a total of 162 seats. As it requires at least 172 out of 342 votes to topple the Imran Khan-led government, the opposition reached out to PML(Q), BAP and MQM-P. While 13 PTI MPs have openly expressed displeasure with the government's functioning, at least 14 other parliamentarians of the ruling party are also likely to vote against the 1992 World Cup-winning captain. A day earlier, 161 MPs supported the moving of the no-confidence motion in the National Assembly after which a discussion on this resolution was fixed on March 31.