PESHAWAR: The joint opposition in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly seems to be in a fix whether or not to ask Chief Minister Pervez Khattak to show majority in the house as his coalition government has apparently lost majority after the ruling PTI served show cause notices to its 20 lawmakers over the Senate election horse-trading charge.

A senior lawmaker claimed that the chief minister had virtually lost majority in the assembly but his (Khattak’s) major advantage was that the opposition was confused and divided.

He said five opposition parties in the assembly had yet to pay heed together to discuss the latest situation and work out a joint strategy.

MPA insists Khattak has lost majority in house after PTI issued horse-trading notices to 20 members

The lawmaker said the opposition parties were expected to contact 20 affected MPAs of the PTI to formulate its future line of action.

PTI chairman Imran Khan had announced on Wednesday that disciplinary action had been initiated against 20 MPAs, who had allegedly sold their votes in the recent Senate elections and issued them show cause notices.

Sources in the assembly secretariat told Dawn that the latest party position in the 124-member house is that PTI had 45 MPAs after it served show cause notices to 16 own lawmakers and four others, who had quit their respective parties and joined the PTI.

According to the latest position, Jamaat-i-Islami, coalition partner of PTI had eight MPAs, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz 17 MPAs, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl 17 MPAs, Pakistan Peoples Party nine MPAs, Awami National Party five MPAs and Qaumi Watan Party has four MPAs. Three seats in the assembly have been lying vacant.

Like the joint opposition led by the JUI-F, the emerging situation also put the JI in awkward position.

JI provincial chief Senator Mushtaq Ahmad Khan said the party lawmakers would not become part of any move to derail the process.

“The current situation demands of CM Khattak to show majority in the assembly but the JI will never support any action that cause instability and affect election process,” Senator Mushtaq said adding that he would explain party position to the media on Friday regarding the current situation including the government decision not to present the next budget.

MPA Anisa Zeb Tahirkheli of the QWP said the opposition would not provide opportunity to the PTI to become a ‘political martyr’.

She said the PTI was waiting for opportunity to run away before completing tenure.

“The government has already given up by not presenting next budget. The PTI wants to become Siyasi Shaheed, but opposition will not give that opportunity and let him to complete its tenure,” she said.

She said Chief Minister Pervez Khattak should either show majority in the assembly or the governor fulfil his constitutional responsibilities and ask him (Khattak) to seek fresh vote of confidence.

She said the PTI had taken bold step by taking action against its MPAs but some of them had been given relaxation.

MPA Qurban Ali Khan, who was already expelled from the PTI, said Imran staged a drama to win next elections in Punjab.

“Imran should uphold his principles and ask CM Khattak to step down because he is not enjoying majority,” he said.

Higher education minister Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani said the time was very crucial and countdown for next general elections had already begun.

He said there was no need to ask chief minister at this critical movement to show majority in the House.

“Elections are round the corner and it will create crises to ask chief minister to prove majority,” said Mr Ghani, adding that the government did not afraid of no-trust motion.

He said the MPAs who received show cause notices might show loyalty with the party and support Pervez Khattak if the no-trust motion was moved.

Published in Dawn, April 20th, 2018