Islamabad: In a major development, opposition parties in Punjab Assembly-Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and Pakistan Peoples’ Party submitted no-confidence motion against Chief Minister Chaudhary Pervaiz Elahi.

No-trust motion was submitted in provincial assembly against Chief Minister, Speaker Sibtain Khan and Deputy Speaker Wasiq Abbasi. No-confidence motion stated that PPP and PML-N lawmakers had lost confidence in CM Elahi’s ability to lead House, hence he should take vote-of-confidence from Assembly again. Following submission of no-trust motion, Punjab Governor Balighur Rehman summoned session of Punjab Assembly on December 21 “For CM Minister to seek vote of confidence from House”.

Governor in an order shared on his official Twitter handle said that Chief Minister has “Lost confidence of his party president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and members of his own party belonging to PML-Q”.  “It is widely known that over last few weeks serious differences of opinion erupted between two coalition parties of ruling alliance in Punjab Assembly-PTI and PML-Q regarding political strategies, dissolution of assembly, development schemes and transfers of public officials,” it added. Governor in order also referred to alleged rifts between PTI and PML-Q, saying, “CM has stated in TV programme on December 4 that he is not going to dissolve provincial assembly until March 2023, a position which is completely at odds with PTI’s public opinion on issue.”

Development comes days after Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chief Imran Khan announced that his party would dissolve assemblies in Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on December 23 staking his hard-earned political ground on bid to trigger early elections.

PML-N was reportedly planning to prevent possible dissolution of Punjab Assembly, as party sources revealed that it was likely to submit no-confidence motion against Punjab Chief Minister Elahi and Punjab Assembly Speaker Sibtain Khan.

PML-N leadership reportedly given green signal to submit motion of no-confidence in bid to prevent possible dissolution of Assembly by PTI.

Published in The Daily National Courier, December, 20 2022

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