Punjab

At present Imran Khan has lost the scope of any kind of bargaining within Punjab: Irfan Siddiqui

ISLAMABAD, Mar 13 (SABAH): Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Senator Irfan Siddiqui on Sunday has said that Prime Minister Imran Khan’s options are rapidly running out as the premier is no longer in a position to elect a chief minister from Punjab if Usman Buzdar is ousted.

In a conversation with a private TV channel, Irfan Siddiqui claimed that the trajectory of the no-trust motion was no longer “a matter of removing Usman Buzdar but rather a matter of electing a new chief minister”.

Irfan Siddiqui furthered that that even if the PM came under pressure and removed Buzdar, he will not be in a position to elect Chaudhry Pervez Elahi or “anyone else” due to a lack of majority in the House.

“Currently, in a House of 371, PTI with its 184 members has the support of 10 members of the PML-Q and one member of the Rah-e-Haq Party, as the total number of pro-PTI members is 195,” Senator Siddiqui explained.

He added that the opposition consisted of 165 members of the PML-N and seven members of the PPP, making a total of 172 members.

“The difference between the opposition and the government is only 17 members. In order to elect a CM of their liking, the ruling party will require at least 186 members which they do not have,” he added.

The PML-N senator claimed that even with 15 votes from the PML-Q and Rah-e-Haq, the ruling party will still require 171 members, “which are not available to them in the current situation”.

“Because there are many factions in the PTI, including Tareen and Aleem groups, each faction has its own goal but they will ultimately unite against the candidate nominated by Khan,” the opposition senator stated.

In response to a question regarding the powers of the premier, he said that at present Imran Khan has lost the scope of any kind of bargaining within Punjab.

He furthered that the coalition partners could sense the PM’s position, saying, the “PML-Q has realised that Khan sahib can no longer give anything to anyone in Punjab.”