ISLAMABAD: In an apparent bid to capitalise on the bad blood between the two coalition partners, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja on Tuesday announced that his party would support any move for the ouster of the government, including no-confidence motion.

Addressing a press conference alongside with Dr Babar Awan and other party lawyers, Mr Raja said he had no doubt that the PPP and PML-N spat was merely “friendly firing”, because both parties were beneficiaries of the same system.

“We will not form a coalition with the PPP, but we will support it if it moves a no-confidence motion against the government. We will cast our votes in favour of the no-confidence motion because it will pave the way for the fresh elections,” he explained.

He said that Imran Khan has been in jail for two years just because he was not ready to compromise on principles.

When asked that why PTI was supporting “outsiders” as candidates for opposition leaders in both houses, Mr Raja chalked it up as a decision taken by Imran Khan, which no one in the the parliamentary party had objected to.

“We were facing the allegation that PTI is alone in the opposition. We want to take all opposition parties along. Both Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Nasir Abbas have been supporting us for three years and we have supported them,” he said.

A day earlier, the PTI nominated Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas as its candidates for the slots of Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and Senate, respectively. On Tuesday MNA Malik Aamir Dogar claimed that most of the legislators have signed the nomination letters but those who were absent on Monday could not sign. He hoped that the letters will be signed by Thursday and will be submitted on same day.

When asked that why PTI resigned from the chairmanship of standing committees, Mr Raja said that Imran Khan was of the view that PTI will not legitimise the government.

Talking about the arrest of PTI activist Sanam Javed, he said that KP police did not arrest her. “While she was being picked by person in plainclothes, workers informed police officials about it and requested to intervene, but they said that they were helpless”, he added.

He also said that the 26th constitutional amendment was passed to control the judiciary and curb the freedom of expression.

Commenting over speculations that Imran Khan may be shifted to some other place, Babar Awan said that whenever a prisoner was shifted, first that place has to be declared as sub-jail. “We will not accept if Imran Khan would be shifted to some private place”, he added.

Published in Dawn, October 8th, 2025