Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Tuesday that the opposition lacked the necessary numbers to succeed in its vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, and questioned why the opposition alliance had organised a gathering in Islamabad if its numbers were sufficient.
Qureshi told the media in Islamabad that he couldn’t understand why the opposition had called a gathering in the capital.
The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Monday issued a call to the public and workers of its component parties to begin a long march towards Islamabad on March 23 to stage a sit-in that could last until the end of the voting process in the National Assembly, hours after the ruling PTI announced a gathering of “one million people” at D-Chowk on the eve of voting on the crucial no-confidence resolution against Prime Minister Imran Khan.
PDM President Maulana Fazlur Rehman declared the plan to hold the long march into the capital on Pakistan Day.
“Their announcement of a march demonstrates that their numbers are insufficient and that there are divisions within their ranks,” Qureshi said today to the media.
According to the minister, the one point of agreement among the opposition’s ranks was to depose Imran Khan. “What will the future configuration be, and who will be the next Prime Minister… They can’t seem to agree on anything. Their ideologies, goals, and manifestos are all unique “Added he.
He claimed that the PPP was holding rallies in order to elect Shehbaz Sharif as the next Prime Minister. He predicted, “This is an unholy and time-bound partnership that will disintegrate very soon.”
He further underlined that the PTI event on March 27 would not be a “sit-in,” but rather a gathering at which the prime minister would give his point of view to the public.
When questioned if the PM was correct when he indicated he was facing a no-trust motion because he “challenged the West,” Qureshi replied Khan was correct. “I have more information than this,” the foreign minister stated, adding that if the prime minister requested it, he would provide more.
The PDM declared its plan to organise an anti-inflation long march towards the capital on Pakistan Day last year following a meeting of the chiefs of the component parties in Islamabad on December 6.
The PDM, on the other hand, had remained deafeningly silent on the long march issue since voting to move the no-confidence motion against the prime minister.
Although the PPP is not a member of the PDM, Maulana expressed the hope that the PPP would also declare its decision to join the long march, noting that he and Shehbaz Sharif had given a formal invitation to the PPP.
The administration had asked the opposition to postpone their protest due to the usual military parade on Pakistan Day and the presence of foreign dignitaries due to a conference of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) foreign ministers in the city at the time. The opposition, on the other hand, declined the request.
