Shehbaz Triumph: PTI leader under fire over 'foolish' face-saving attempt
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf leaders are under fire for ‘foolish’ face-saving attempts after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif won the vote of confidence.
According to 24NewsHD TV channel, 80 lawmakers cast their vote reposing trust in PM Shehbaz. National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf did not participate in the voting process.
The prime minister secured 85 votes from PML-N, 57 from PPP and 13 from JUI, 7 from MQM, 5 from BAP, 3 from Q-League, four from BNP, one from JWP, one from JWP and four from independents MNAs.
Taking to Twitter, former PTI information minister Fawad Chaudhry said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif won the vote of confidence with the help of PTI defectors – a claim rubbished by Raja Riaz and other others.
“The votes of 20 MNAs from the PTI cannot be counted in favour of the PM,” Fawad Chaudhry tweeted as he claimed the prime minister lost the vote of confidence.
“Shehbaz Sharif got 160 votes instead of 172. Today's vote is a big defeat of Shehbaz Sharif and the PDM”
شہباز شریف اراکین کی اکثریت کا اعتماد کھو چکے ہیں، بیس اراکین اسمبلی جن کا تعلق تحریک انصاف سے ہے ان کا ووٹ وزیر اعظم کے حق میں شمار نہیں کیا جا سکتا لہذا شہباز شریف کو صرف 172 ارکان کی بجائے صرف 160 ارکان اسمبلی کی حمائیت حاصل آج کا یہ ووٹ شہباز شریف اور PeeDM کی بہت بڑی شکست…
— Ch Fawad Hussain (@fawadchaudhry) April 27, 2023
Raja Riaz rubbished Fawad Chaudhry’s claim saying the former information minister was lying.
“We did not participate in the voting. We remained seated in the parliament,” he added.
Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah swiped at Fawad Ch and Shireen Mazari, saying the PTI leaders are poor at counting … they are experts in gimmickry.
"Had the speaker cast his vote, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif would have got 181 votes. The number of votes of the ruling coalition is 180 and no vote of PTI is included in it”
“The opposition members remained seated during the voting process," the minister said, adding that they were not seen by Fawad Chaudhry and Shireen Mazari”
He described the PTI leaders as ‘votes thieves’ and said the rest of their life would be spent counting the number of turncoats and looters.