ISLAMABAD, June 24: The treasury benches will not participate in voting on the no-trust resolution against the National Assembly speaker, allowing the opposition to muster 172 votes, as the onus for show of strength is on the movers, Dr Sher Afgan said on Tuesday.

The parliamentary leader of People’s Party Patriots was talking to this correspondent after meeting with Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain.

Dr Sher Afgan said that opposition parties were initially required to show support of 86 members for “grant of leave” to move the resolution.

Dr Afgan said that the treasury benches were not bound to take part in the voting.

He claimed that the opposition parties “do not enjoy the support of 150 members. They are only bragging in this regard.”

Meanwhile NA speaker, Chaudhry Amir Hussain called on Prime Ministers Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali at the Prime Minister’s Secretariat and discussed with him the government’s strategy in this regard. Abdus Sattar Lalika, chief whip, and Nasrullah Dareshak MNA were present on the occasion.

Ahmed Hassan adds: In a related development, Prime Minister Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali on Tuesday continued consultations with his aides and leaders of the coalition parties on ways to counter the combined opposition’s no-trust move.