In what appears to be a tit-for-tat move, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan said Saturday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will have to take a trust vote.
The comment comes after the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) threatened to leave the coalition government in the centre — whose votes are crucial to keep the incumbent prime minister in office.
MQM-P had threatened to quit the federal government if their reservations regarding delimitations in Karachi and Hyderabad were not addressed ahead of the local government polls — scheduled for January 15.
However, in a bid to keep them in the alliance, PM Shehbaz, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari, and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman had assured the MQM-P of addressing their concerns.
Against the backdrop of the recent political developments in the country, Khan, during an interview on a private television channel, said: “PTI has passed the test. Now, Shehbaz Sharif will be fully tested.”
Referring to the recent vote of confidence taken by Punjab Chief Minister Parvez Elahi, Khan said: “Our numbers had been completed. Moonis Elahi worked hard at the last moment to achieve the required numbers of the PML-Q.”