Imran Khan suffered two blows on Tuesday, as two more MPs defected from the ruling coalition to join the opposition ahead of the Pakistan alliance’s no-confidence vote.
According to Pakistani media, PTI parliamentary secretary Asim Nazir of Faisalabad has resigned and joined the Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz). In another development, Aslam Bhootani, an independent member from Balochistan, has left the ruling coalition and has decided to vote for the opposition, according to Geo News.
Tariq Bashir Cheema, a federal minister, left the administration on Monday and joined the opposition. Balochistan Awami Party, a key PTI supporter with five members, has also announced its support for the opposition.
The opposition now claims that a desperate Imran Khan has resorted to witchcraft in an attempt to save his administration. In an interview with Pakistani TV station Aaj News, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif claimed that tonnes of chickens were being burned at Imran Khan’s Bani Gala mansion to rescue his administration.
“Poor people are going hungry because they are unable to obtain food. Tons of beef are being charred at Bani Gala. I say this fully aware of the consequences of my words “According to the PML-N leader.
But Sharif isn’t the first politician to claim that witchcraft is being practised in the Prime Minister’s residence. Maryam Nawaz, his niece, had recently made a similar assertion.
The Pakistan National Assembly has passed a no-confidence resolution against Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan. Shehbaz Sharif, the leader of the opposition, presented the no-confidence resolution in the presence of deputy speaker Qasim Khan Suri. Following its introduction, the resolution was put to a vote, with 161 legislators voting in favour.
The National Assembly has been adjourned until March 31, implying that voting must take place after three days but before the seventh. The Pakistani constitution forbids the prime minister from dissolving the house and calling new elections when a no-confidence vote is tabled.
