Ahead of no-trust vote against PM
LAHORE/ISLAMABAD - Opposition Leader in National Assembly and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday proposed ‘national government’ but without the participation of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
In a TV interview aired on Wednesday night, the Opposition Leader said that it was his ‘personal idea’ that a national government should be formed to resolve the issues being faced by the country.
“A national government, sans PTI, should be formed for the next five years,” the PML-N president suggested. The new leadership that comes into power should work with all the dedication so as to set a benchmark, he added. “And then we can see what happens.”
This statement of the Opposition Leader comes almost one week after the opposition parties submitted a no-confidence motion to remove Prime Minister Imran Khan, citing economic and foreign policy failures.
Ahead of the no-trust vote expected by the end of this month, both the government and the opposition are trying to woo ‘voters.’ Interestingly, the allied parties are yet to announce support to the PM Imran Khan’s government at this crucial stage.
This is not the first time that the PML-N leader floated the idea of forming a national government.
In August, Shehbaz Sharif had suggested the same. The opposition Leader, while talking to journalists on the final leg of his three-day visit to Karachi had stated that a national government should be formed to take the country out of uncharted waters while claiming that no single party including itself can take up the insurmountable challenges Pakistan is facing.
But he was convinced that the solution of the current national problems, ranging from foreign policy to economy and from political uncertainty to fast-eroding space for true democratic forces, demanded a consensus national government.
“Frankly I am telling you that sometimes when I look at these huge problems and challenges, I feel convinced that it’s not possible for one party alone [to fix them],” he said. “It needs collective wisdom. It requires collective efforts. That’s why I think we should have a national government in place to sort out these huge tasks. I don’t know what the exact shape of this idea would be and the right time may make things clearer but for me it’s crucial. Even if we [PML-N] win a majority, we can’t fix it alone.”
Meanwhile, Shehbaz Sharif without naming anyone late Wednesday night tweeted, “You can cut all the flowers, but you cannot keep spring from coming.”
Reacting to the suggestion given by the of the opposition leader, federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Wednesday took exception to PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif for an “extra-constitutional statement” to form a national government for five years.
Fawad, in a news statement, said it was a clear violation of the oath of a parliamentarian as the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader, in an interview, had proposed the new set-up sans the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
He said all the parliamentarians were bound to follow the constitutional provisions as “all [of us] have taken the oath to protect the Constitution,” he added.
The minister said the PTI was the country’s most popular party as it had secured the highest number of votes in the last general election of 2018. He accused the opposition parties of indulging in ‘sale and purchase’ of the members of Parliament.
The three govt-allies partied have 17 representatives in the National Assembly. If these parties join the Opposition, the PTI government’s strength will fall to 162 from 179, and the total number of MNAs in the unified opposition would rise to 179.
To pass the no-trust motion, the Opposition needed the backing of 172 MNAs. The NA currently has a total membership of 341 members, with one seat empty. The ruling coalition now has 179 MNAs in favour, while the Opposition has 162 MNAs in the lower house of parliament. The Opposition required the backing of ten more MNAs to dislodge the Imran Khan government.