ISLAMABAD: A senior Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader told the media on Sunday the opposition would table a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan in the National Assembly in the coming week.
The PPP recently joined hands with the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), a nine-party opposition alliance, to bring down the government through a no-trust vote.
Leading opposition figures maintain they have the required numbers to topple the government while claiming that some members of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party have agreed to support them.
However, they have also continued to negotiate with the allies of the government since the opposition believes the PTI administration’s popularity “is at its lowest ebb.”
Syed Khursheed Ahmed Shah, a veteran PPP politician, spoke to reporters outside the residence of PM Khan’s former spokesperson, Nadeem Afzal Chan, who announced his decision to part ways with the PTI to rejoin the PPP.
“We will do it on the 8th or the 9th [of March],” Shah said while responding to a reporter’s query about when the opposition wanted to table the no-confidence motion.
Another reporter asked Shah whether the opposition would also move a no-trust motion against National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaisar.
“We will also do it,” the PPP leader said.
A senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party had said on Saturday that all opposition parties were on the same page over the demand for fresh elections in Pakistan after bringing down PM Khan’s administration.
“Fresh polls are no longer a sticking point among the opposition parties,” PML-N secretary general Ahsan Iqbal was quoted by Dawn newspaper. “The PDM and PPP leadership has agreed on it and PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has also announced there will be fresh polls after sending Imran Khan home.”
Discussing the opposition’s strategy to constructively engage the government’s allies, he said: “The allies know that they cannot win the next election if they remain with Imran Khan’s PTI whose popularity is at its lowest ebb. In such a scenario, the allies have kept their options open and we have a strong impression they will finally join us to remain relevant in future politics.”
The PDM was launched in September 2020 to initiate an anti-government campaign involving various opposition factions. It organized public rallies and protest demonstrations in different parts of the country while threatening to resign from the national and provincial assemblies to create a political crisis in the country.
The PDM lost the PPP and Awami National Party (ANP) over differences in strategy. However, the PPP and PDM decided to work together once again in recent weeks and agreed to bring a no-confidence motion against the prime minister.
PPP chairman Bilwal Bhutto-Zardari has also started a “long march” against the government from the southern Sindh province and is likely to reach Islamabad in the coming days.
Pakistan’s interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told a news channel on Saturday that the entire political set-up of the country “might be wrapped up” if the opposition continued with its decision to bring the no-confidence motion against the prime minister.
Ahmed also maintained that the government would be willing to discuss the idea of holding fresh general elections ahead of schedule, though other representatives of the ruling administration have remained dismissive of the opposition’s move and said that PTI lawmakers are in a position to defeat the no-confidence strategy.
Opposition to bring no-trust motion against PM Khan next week
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Opposition to bring no-trust motion against PM Khan next week
- PPP’s Khursheed Ahmed Shah confirms the opposition will bring no-confidence motions against the prime minister and National Assembly speaker
- PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal says the government’s allies will not support the PM since they want to remain ‘relevant’ to the country’s future politics
Police in Pakistan’s Karachi say 71 of 75 extortion cases traced as businesses complain of threats
- Builders told provincial authorities this week extortion calls were traced to numbers operating from abroad
- Police say 128 suspects were identified, with 91 arrested and six killed in encounters during investigations
ISLAMABAD: Police in Karachi said on Saturday they traced 71 of 75 confirmed extortion cases this year, arresting 91 suspects and killing six in encounters, amid complaints from businesses about rising threats in Pakistan’s commercial hub.
The disclosure follows recent complaints by builders and developers who told provincial authorities that extortion demands had increased in Karachi, with some calls traced to numbers operating from abroad, prompting assurances of tougher enforcement by the Sindh government.
“In 2025, a total of 171 extortion cases were registered, of which 75 were confirmed as genuine extortion,” police said in a statement. “Of these 75 cases, 71 were traced, representing a 95 percent trace rate.”
According to the report released by the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of the Crime Investigation Agency (CIA) Karachi, the remaining 96 cases initially registered as extortion were later found to be linked to financial disputes, land and plot conflicts, personal matters, fights and other non-extortion-related disagreements.
Police said 128 suspects were identified in the confirmed extortion cases. Of these, six were killed in encounters with the SIU, while 14 others were arrested in injured condition during operations.
A total of 91 suspects were arrested over the course of the year, the statement said, adding that crackdowns against extortion would continue.
Karachi, Pakistan’s largest and most populous city, is the country’s financial and commercial capital, accounting for a significant share of national revenue, trade and industrial activity.
The city has long struggled with crime, political violence and organized criminal networks, with members of the business community repeatedly warning that extortion poses a persistent threat to investment and economic stability.
