Deputy Speaker National Assembly (NA) Qasim Suri has said that the opposition does not have the required number of votes to make the no-trust motion they have moved against him successful.

In an interview with 24NewsHD TV channel broadcast on Thursday, Qasim Suri said in order to send him home, the opposition required the support of 172 members of the National Assembly (MNAs) whereas he had the backing of 183 MNAs.

“If the opposition parties had the required number of votes, their candidate would have been the country’s prime minister,” he said, and added, “They had tried to oust me in the past too only to withdraw their no-trust motion later.”

“Allah (The Almighty) has saved me in the past, and He is my protector in the present and future as well,” the deputy speaker said.

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He further said it was always his effort to give an opportunity to those sitting on the backbenches to speak. “I believe in giving an equal opportunity to members of both the ruling party as well as the opposition parties to speak their mind,” he told 24News TV channel.

Qasim Suri said he was the first speaker who conducted parliamentary proceedings in Urdu so that the lawmakers could know what kind of legislation was being done.

Quoting sources, 24News TV channel reported that the no-confidence motion against Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri will be settled through a secret ballot on Friday.

The ruling coalition has a numerical majority in the lower house, holding 180 seats and it has also finalised its strategy for Friday's session. The opposition parties have162 seats.

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The motion will be moved under Rule 12 of the National Assembly and section 7 of Article 53 of the Constitution. No further matters will be taken up in the house on the day the motion is moved.

The deputy speaker will not be able to preside over the meeting till a decision is made on the motion which carries the signatures of more than a quarter of the opposition members.

 

Reporter Owais Kiyani and Usman Khan