ISLAMABAD: Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said on Wednesday the government of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party led by Prime Minister Imran Khan had ”enough numbers” to defeat the opposition, which has filed a no-trust motion against Khan in parliament.

Under the constitution, the speaker of the National Assembly must soon convene a special session that will deliberate whether Khan still has majority support in the house. Should Khan fail to win approval, the parliament will have to choose a new prime minister.

“I challenge the opposition parties to show their people in the media if they have enough numbers,” Hussain told reporters, saying the PM had the support of more than 179 Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) and the number could touch 184 with the inclusion of legislators of allied parties.

Ruling out dialogue with the opposition, Hussain said: “We have tried our best to sit with them on electoral and other reforms, but they did not cooperate with us.”

Earlier Tuesday in Islamabad, opposition lawmaker Fazalur Rehman, Asif Ali Zardari, a former president, and Shahbaz Sharif, the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, said at a press conference they were sure of the “success of our no-confidence motion.”

However, Khan has remained defiant, claiming he still enjoys the backing of the majority of lawmakers. In televised remarks at a gathering held in Karachi on Wednesday, he said he was fully ready to face the opposition’s no-trust move, calling it “political death” for his opponents.

The no confidence move is the toughest challenge Khan has faced since he rose to power in 2018. His critics have widely accused the 2018 general election in which he rose to power of being rigged. Khan denies this.