ISLAMABAD - Pakistan People’s Party is upbeat about more successes against the federal government in the coming weeks after former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani shocked the ruling Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf in Senate elections in Islamabad.

PPP’s top leadership is optimistic to send the government packing through ‘constitutional means’ in a very short span of time, PPP chief Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said.

Yesterday, Bilawal said the Pakistan Democratic Movement will even use turncoats to topple the government. “(Prime Minister) Imran Khan should know we will bring the no-confidence motion against him at the time of our choice. We will ourselves decide when we will attack next. We will use everything against 

government, even the turncoats,” he said at a news conference here.

Bilawal said that now “PDM will call the shots not Imran Khan” who has “lost confidence of his own members” of the National Assembly. He said that the democratic forces now smell the blood and will contest against the government for Senate chairman position.

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari was accompanied by Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Farhatullah Babar, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Shazia Marri and others.

The PPP chief said that the people had been in trouble for the last three years by the government. “People are not able to pay the utility bills, fees of their children, medicine for their elderly and commodities for their families. The people of Pakistan celebrated the win of PDM candidate from a general seat from Islamabad because they want the government to quit,” he added.

Bilawal said the entire government members addressed a news conference after the Islamabad Senate election defeat. “Imran Khan had said that he will dissolve the government if we win this seat from Islamabad. Now he should have at least announced his own resignation,” the PPP leader said.

Imran Khan, he said, once again wanted to stage a drama in next two days.

“He should be clear that now he will not take the decisions rather we the PDM will tell him that when and where the no-confidence is going to come. Now there will be no puppet show and PDM will take decisions because the democratic forces now smell the blood,” he maintained.  

Responding to questions by the journalists, he said that the PPP was in touch with allies and Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani will be the candidate for position of Senate chairman.

He said that number of MNAs against this government will keep increasing. The PPP Chairman said that if Imran Khan knew the names of his members who took money to vote then he should expel them from his party.

The PPP chief said that the party was receiving great response from the treasury benches because their hearts were with the PDM.

He said that every institution had to remain in its own domain and the PPP was continuing this struggle for the last three generations. He said that the PDM will make the future strategy with consensus.

Later, after a meeting with Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) Vice President Maryam Nawaz, Bilawal said the government was panicked and will have to go.

“The government has no authority to remain in power. They will have to go now. Their own members have lost trust in them,” he said.

PPP supremo Asif Ali Zardari is also in contact with political leaders to make a joint move against the government.

Close aides told The Nation that the PPP in consultations with the PDM partners wanted to bring a no-confidence motion against the government rather than expecting any miracle in the March 6 National Assembly session where PM Imran Khan will take a vote of confidence.

“We don’t care what happens on March 6. We will initiate our own move. Zardari and Bilawal are actively meeting and contacting allies,” said a close aide of the Bhutto family.