PESHAWAR: The opposition parties here on Saturday rejected the confidence vote cast in favour of Prime Minister Imran Khan during a National Assembly session and asked him to judge his party position by holding fresh general elections.

“The premier has lost courage after defeat of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf candidate Hafeez Shaikh by Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani, a joint candidate of opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement, and using very derogatory language against his rival politicians,” they said.

Qaumi Watan Party chairman Aftab Ahmad Khan Sherpao, Awami National Party’s former senator Ilyas Ahmad Bilour, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz provincial secretary information Ikhtiar Wali Khan and Pakistan Peoples Party provincial president Mohammad Humayun Khan said in their separate statements that the loss of one seat in the Senate election had baffled Imran Khan.

Mr Sherpao condemned the manhandling of senior PML-N leaders at the hands of PTI workers outside the Parliament House in Islamabad and described it as an indecent step on the part of ruling party.

He accused PTI of introducing indecency in politics and said such incidents would not bode well for democratic traditions in the country. “It seems as if Imran Khan is still standing on a container as his ministers are making provocative speeches against the opposition members,” he said.

Condemns manhandling of PML-N leaders by ruling party activists in Islamabad

The QWP chief said the PTI leaders were inciting the people to violence and it would foment anarchy and political discord in the country.

“The country has never seen this kind of indecency. The PTI rulers don’t have the courage to tolerate political dissent,” he said, adding the government was harassing its political adversaries through such tactics.

Commenting on the vote of confidence, Mr Sherpao said the prime minister had lost the trust of the people and called for fresh elections in the country. He said instead of accepting defeat, the prime minister was taking out his frustration on the Election Commission of Pakistan after losing the Senate seat in Islamabad.

Mr Bilour said the PM had promised to step down in case of Hafeez Shaikh’s defeat, but he did not fulfil his commitment and rather staged a drama of vote of confidence.

The ANP leader said the no-confidence against Imran Khan had come with the defeat of Hafeez Shaikh, so the vote of confidence from the National Assembly was a useless exercise.

Commenting on the PM’s address to the nation, Mr Bilour said Imran Khan repeated his old narrative and shifted the entire responsibility to the previous government and ECP to hide his ‘incompetence’.

About the defeat of Hafeez Shaikh, the ANP leader said the IMF agenda and anti-masses policies were rejected by the elected representatives.

He said the government failed to adopt an effective economic policy and had surrendered the country to IMF which was dictating increase in the prices of power, gas, petroleum products and other essential commodities.

PML-N provincial spokesman Ikhtiar Wali and PPP’s Humayun Khan also condemned the manhandling of PML-N leaders during a press conference outside the parliament and warned that such tactics would lead to violence in politics.

They said the PDM had already rejected the vote of confidence move and urged the premier to step down and announce fresh elections in the country.

Published in Dawn, March 7th, 2021