Pakistan’s Imran Khan wins in Punjab after CM Elahi’s confidence vote | World news
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his coalition partner Pakistan Muslim League (Q) have emerged victorious as Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi has signed a package for the dissolution of the provincial assembly after showing a majority in a vote of confidence this week.
The federal government led by the PML-N with ‘strong circles’ was unable to prevent the Punjab CM from taking the vote of confidence in the Punjab Assembly despite pressure measures, The Express Tribune reported.
All efforts by his party to convince the lawmakers of Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) to change their loyalties were futile, a PML-N leader told The Express Tribune. According to a Pakistani newspaper, the leader also admitted that the Punjab CM receiving the vote of confidence was a big surprise for his party.
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On Thursday, Punjab CM Parvez Elahi signed the package for the dissolution of the district assembly. “I Parvez Elahi, the chief minister of Punjab, now advise you to dissolve the regional assembly,” he said in a brief statement referring to Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman, as reported by Dawn newspaper.
This comes after the Punjab Chief Minister showed a majority in the regional assembly, winning a confidence vote in the early hours on Wednesday, after weeks of political turmoil in Pakistan’s most populous region.
The vote of confidence began after Wednesday midnight and ended with the PTI and PML-Q showing the majority with the support of 186 lawmakers, The Express Tribune reported.
This election took place after the Lahore High Court (LHC) ruled that the Punjab Governor has the authority to ask the chief minister to seek the confidence of the house even while the council is in progress.
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Earlier on Wednesday, the LHC had said that the chief minister should have the support of 186 legislators – the number required for being elected as CM – round the clock. As many as 186 members of the provincial assembly (MPAs) voted in support of the Punjab Chief Minister on the resolution moved by Punjab Minister Mian Aslam Iqbal and PTI leader Raja Basharat.
The News International reported that the opposition boycotted the sessions, saying that the pre-question legal requirements are not met and that the Punjab authority of the vote of confidence is subject to justice.
After winning the vote of confidence, Elahi thanked the leaders of PTI, Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM) for supporting him during today’s meeting. He asked the PML-N party to accept defeat.
