The fate of embattled Prime Minister Imran Khan will be decided today (Sunday) as the historic session of National Assembly to be opened at 11:30am will hold voting on no-confidence motion against the premier submitted by the opposition, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

As per the National Assembly agenda for today, the house will hold voting on the no-trust resolution which was tabled by opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif during its last sitting on March 28. 

It has been stated in the resolution that the house has no confidence in Prime Minister Imran Khan. The premier has lost the trust of the house that’s why he is not eligible to remain on the office of Prime Minister. 

If the no-confidence move succeeds, Prime Minister Imran Khan will be relinquished from his office and the federal cabinet will be dissolved.

PM Khan who had earlier asked his party’s members of the National Assembly not to go to the assembly on the day of voting on the no-confidence motion, reversed his decision on Saturday and directed all the PTI MNAs to go and vote against the motion. 

According to sources, the prime minister himself was expected to visit the NA session today. 

The joint opposition is pretty sure that its motion against the premier will succeed as it claims that it has more than the required numbers - 172 - in the lower house.

The Opposition said it has the support of 176 MNAs and if they add 22 PTI rebel lawmakers then the number goes to 198, enough to oust the sitting prime minister.

Security plan 

As the prime minister in his live call programme on Saturday asked youth to hold peaceful protests against the removal of his government, the opposition feared that the PTI will try to sabotage the assembly proceedings. 

Moreover, the national security agencies on Saturday also unveiled a commotion plan of the ruling PTI to stop the Members of the National Assembly to cast their votes in favour of the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan. 

In his press conference in Islamabad yesterday, Shehbaz Sharif also alleged that PM Khan was involved in a vicious conspiracy to divide the nation instead of conceding defeat.

In the light of all these developments, the federal government has chalked out a security plan. As many as 3,957 security officials will be deputed for the security of Red Zone area. All officials of operation security division and traffic police besides, 250 officials of FC and Rangers will also be deployed. 

The Islamabad riot police will also be on stand-by to deal with any untoward situation. 

No unconcerned person will be allowed near the area. No MNA is allowed to bring any other person along with him to the assembly. 

Fazl hopeful of success

Meanwhile, talking to media on Sunday, PDM President and JUI Chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman said that opposition’s no-trust motion against prime minister would be successful today. “Our numbers are complete. We will not let anyone to indulge in any kind of hooliganism,” he maintained. 

PPP warns against media blackout 

PPP spokesperson Faisal Karim Kundi said that the rulers had made a plan to sabotage the proceedings of the parliament today. He warned government not to blackout media from the coverage of the National Assembly proceedings today. He said that his party was informed that prime minister not only wanted to ban entry of journalists in the parliament, but government on his order was also going to ban live broadcast of the event on the state-run PTV. He warned the government of the consequences of the media blackout. 

Opposition’s committee

Opposition members in the Lower House of the parliament—National Assembly—have formed a three-member committee to monitor the inside situation of the assembly hall and to ensure the presence of the Opposition lawmakers.

The committee members were Shahida Akhter Ali, Shazia Marri and Shiza Fatima.

Khaqan Abbasi receives rebel PTI MNAs

All eyes are on the disgruntled lawmakers of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). In a latest update, former prime minister and PML-N senior leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi has been receiving the PTI MNAs who publicly oppose the party policy line and support no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

All the dissidents were received at the Opposition chamber’s in the NA.

A voice in media’s support

PML-N leader Marriyum Aurangzeb decried the ban on the entry of media in the National Assembly. She demanded of the authorities concerned to let the media go into the press gallery of the National Assembly to cover the proceedings.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7BCTJM9q9Y

Ahsan Iqbal

PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal talking to 24 News TV channel said that everybody knew what Imran Khan has done to the country and pushed the country into piles of debts.

Ahsan Iqbal said that Imran Khan has been caught in the foreign funding case.

Nafeesa Shah

PPP leader Nafeesa Shah said that it was the right decision to oust Imran Khan from his office. She said that the 1992 World Cup has not been driven out from Imran Khan’s minds and thoughts.

PPP Munawar Talpur and Ramesh Kumar said that Imran Khan got no surprise at all and everything is pretty clear.

PPP Shugufta Jamali said Imran Khan will be ousted today (Sunday).

PPP Naz Baloch said that the Opposition has the required numbers and Imran Khan has only been misleading the people.

Riaz Pirzada

PML-N leader Riaz Pirzada said that opposition members have all the required numbers and Imran Khan could not give any more surprise and actually he himself is surprised.

PML-N MNA Chaudhary Ahsraf said that Imran Khan has lost the majority and no-confidence motion will be succeeded.

PDM spokesperson

PDM spokesperson and JUIF leader Hafiz Hamdullah alleged that media including the state television has not been allowed to cover the parliament.

He said that it is a sorry state of affairs that the speaker of the National Assembly has been getting the instructions from the Bani Gala.

Akhtar Mengal

BNP supremo Akhtar Mengal reached the NA and said that the government has no more cards to show and agitators will only do agitation.

Khawaja Asif

PML-N senior leader Khawaja Asif said that the opposition alliance has the majority and the government did not even have the 140 members with them.

“We may have over 200 members,” Khawaja predicted.

Khursheed Shah

PPP senior leader Khursheed Shah said that the office of the prime minister will not remain vacant for more than three days and it would be good if Imran Khan resigns from his post.

“Imran Khan will continue to perform these activities from Bani Gala only for three more days,” he added.

Faisal Javed Khan

PTI leader Faisal Javed Khan said that PTI will celebrate at the Prime Minister Office today as an alleged conspiracy will be foiled today.

Azma Bokhari

PML-N Azma Bokhari claimed that all gates of Punjab Assembly and also lobby gates of the PA have been shut down.

“I am saying that I want to go inside and cast a vote against the Speaker Punjab Assembly Pervez Elahi,” Azma said.

She said that lawmakers have not been allowed to go inside the assembly.

PMLN members in the Punjab Assembly including Mian Abdul Rauf, Pir Ashraf Rasool, Azma Boklhari, Kanwal Liaquat, Sadia Taimur, Rabia Nusrat and others lodged their protest against the gate's closure of the PA assembly.

Reporter Babar Shahzad Turk