Shehbaz Sharif secures vote of confidence from NA with 180 lawmakers reposing ‘full confidence’ in his leadership as PM

ISLAMABAD, April 27 (SABAH): Prime Minister Mian Shehbaz Sharif secured a vote of confidence from the National Assembly on Thursday, with 180 lawmakers reposing “full confidence” in his leadership as the premier.

The resolution for the trust vote, moved by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, stated: “The National Assembly of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan reposes its full confidence in the leadership of Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, as the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.”

After the resolution was moved, voting was conducted with lawmakers in favour of adopting the resolution rising from their seats.

Former president and PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) leader and Minister for Communications Maulana Asad Mahmood, MQM-Pakistan Convener Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Balochistan Awami Party parliamentary party leader Mir Khalid Hussain Magsi, Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) Chief Sardar Muhammad Akhtar Jan Mengal, PML-Q leader and Federal Minister for Board of Investment (Including Chinese & other FDI) Chaudhry Salik Hussain, Jmahoor Watan Party Chief and Minister for Narcotics Control Nawabzada Shahzain Khan Bugti and other leaders of the coalition parties were also present on the occasion.

Subsequently, NA Speaker Raja Pervaiz Ashraf announced that 180 members of the House had risen from their seats in favour of the resolution.

“Consequently, Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has obtained the vote of confidence from the National Assembly and commands the confidence of the majority of the members of the National Assembly as prime minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” he said amid thumping of desks by lawmakers.

The NA speaker further said that had late Mufti Abdul Shakoor — the federal religious affairs minister who died in a car accident earlier this month — been present at today’s session, the premier would have garnered 181 votes in his support.

PM Shehbaz Sharif, after securing the trust vote in the assembly, thanked Allah Almighty and 180 members for reposing trust in him.

Addressing the NA after successfully proving his majority, the premier said he was “willing to be ousted a thousand times” but would never “compromise on the trust the parliament has expressed in him”, following in the footsteps of former premiers Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif and Makhdoom Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani.

PM Shehbaz Sharif expressed his gratitude to the lawmakers that reiterated their support towards him and vowed to uphold the sanctity of the parliament.

He said that the “severe difficulty” that Pakistan finds itself in was a direct consequence of the developments since 2018. The premier maintained that the previous government had come into power “through electoral rigging of the worst kind” as he censured the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf for consistently “hurting the people of Pakistan”.

He said that the PTI had come into power through a “massive conspiracy” and targeted former chief justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar in particular for having played a role in it.

Shehbaz Sharif also made mention of a recent audio leak allegedly featuring Mian Saqib Nisar which he maintained was proof that a conspiracy was being hatched for his ouster.

He also regretted that “the parliament’s decisions are being challenged today” but stressed that it was his “duty as PM to bow to their decisions”. “It is the parliament’s job to make laws and the courts have no right to re-write them,” he said.

Shehbaz Sharif also took a dig at the Supreme Court for having implied that the government’s decision to not release funds in compliance with the parliament’s wishes was a sign that he had lost the majority.

“Today the House has given its verdict,” he said, “and the three-member bench better gear it loud and clear that we do not accept their verdict, we only accept the 4-3 verdict”.

The PM also said that though there were members of his party who “hold a very strong view against” the rival party PTI, he had given in to the requests of other political parties’ leaders and was open to dialogue.

“But,” he said, “the agenda of the talks will be same-day elections that are free and fair,” he said stressing that there would be no compromise on holding polls in Punjab separately from the rest of the country as it would “imply that Punjab is exploiting the country”.

“No power in this world can take the power away from the parliament,” said PM Shehbaz Sharif.

The PM went on to say that former PM Imran Khan dissolved two assemblies in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) to create hurdles when talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) were going on. “The incumbent government is importing Russian oil that will soon arrive in Pakistan,” he added.

Had he came to the government as a result of foreign conspiracy, his government would not have imported oil from Russia, he said.

PM Shehbaz said the legislation is the constitutional right of the Parliament. “No power in the world can take away the authority of the Parliament. I am a member of this Parliament and I stand with you, he roared.

The prime minister also mentioned that even if the Supreme Court disqualifies him for not following up on its order, he would accept it for keeping the supremacy of the parliament intact.

Earlier, according to media reports, the PM had consulted the parties in the ruling alliance at lunch after which he decided to take the vote. They said that when the PM informed them about his intention, the allies told him that they had “full confidence in you,” and he could take a vote of confidence from the house anytime.