ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s leading opposition figures on Wednesday asked Prime Minister Imran Khan to resign from his position ahead of a no-trust vote in parliament, saying he had lost his majority after a key coalition partner abandoned the government.
The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) party formally announced to join the opposition before the no-confidence vote against the prime minister which is expected to take place on April 3.
The MQM-P has seven lawmakers in the national assembly that has pushed the opposition’s tally to 175, three votes more than the number required to topple Khan’s administration.
“The prime minister should set a new tradition by tendering his resignation after losing majority,” said Shehbaz Sharif, leader of the opposition in the national assembly, while addressing a joint news conference with other opposition leaders.
He maintained that “revenge was not in the [opposition’s] dictionary” while responding to a question about how the ministers and officials of the present administration would be treated after they were driven out their offices.
Earlier, two federal ministers belonging to MQM-P, Barrister Farogh Naseem and Syed Aminul Haq, resigned from their cabinet positions to join the opposition’s ranks.
“We are with you in this change and hope it will make a positive difference to the lives of people,” Dr. Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, convener of the MQM-P, announced at the news conference.
The opposition had been struggling since March 8, when it submitted the no-confidence motion against the prime minister, to seek support of other lawmakers to reach the magical number of 172 to oust the government.
It also nominated Sharif for the coveted premiership slot after Khan’s exit.
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also demanded the prime minister’s resignation, saying Khan had lost the majority and confidence of the house.
“Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan has lost his majority,” he said. “Today, MQM Pakistan has joined the opposition ranks. Shehbaz Sharif has rightly given a challenge in the spirit of statesmanship to [PM Khan to] resign.”
Bhutto-Zardari added: “The prime minister does not have any option. Either he should resign or come to the parliamentary session tomorrow to settle this issue.”
He maintained the prime minister’s removal would help Pakistan resume its democratic journey again.
The PPP chairman also clarified his party’s working relationship with the MQM-P had nothing to do with the no-trust vote against the prime minister.
“Our conversations were underway from a long time,” he continued, adding: “We will have to work jointly for the prosperity of Karachi and Pakistan.”
Speaking on the occasion, Maulana Fazlur Rehman of the Jamiat-e-Ulama-e-Islam (JUI-F) rejected the prime minister’s claim that a foreign-funded conspiracy was behind the opposition’s efforts to topple the ruling administration.
“We want to become a nation,” he maintained. “Our aim is to achieve prosperity and stability in the country and we will work for it.”
The MQM-P signed two separate “charters of rights” with Bhutto-Zardari and Sharif in front of the media that included various demands, including the withdrawal of “false and fabricated” cases against them.
“We hope these agreements will stay and be implemented in letter and spirit,” Sharif said.
Political analysts said the prime minister should “show sportsman spirit” and resign from his position.
“The opposition has attained a majority in the national assembly without dissident lawmakers of the ruling party,” Zahid Hussain, a political analyst, told Arab News. “So, the prime minister should gracefully resign now.”
Opposition demands PM Khan’s resignation after PTI administration loses parliamentary majority
https://arab.news/c366e
Opposition demands PM Khan’s resignation after PTI administration loses parliamentary majority
- The opposition has gone beyond the magical number of 172 required to topple the government with MQM-P’s support
- Political analysts say the prime minister should ‘gracefully resign’ from his position after losing his key coalition partner
Pakistan kills 11 militants in separate operations in western provinces
- Military says five Baloch separatist fighters were killed in an intelligence-based operation in Kohlu district
- Police say six Pakistani Taliban died in Lakki Marwat during a joint operation after drone attacks on homes
ISLAMABAD/PESHAWAR: Pakistani security forces and police killed at least 11 militants in separate counterterrorism operations in the country’s western provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, authorities said on Friday, highlighting the distinct insurgencies confronting the country along its border with Afghanistan.
In southwestern Balochistan, the military said it killed separatist militants in an intelligence-based operation in Kohlu District on Dec. 25, while police in the northwestern district of Lakki Marwat fought and killed the Pakistani Taliban.
Pakistan’s military said the Balochistan operation targeted fighters it identified as part of “Fitna al Hindustan,” a term authorities use for Baloch separatist outfits, including the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA), which have waged a decades-long insurgency in the resource-rich province.
“During the conduct of operation, own forces effectively engaged the terrorists’ location, and after an intense fire exchange, five Indian sponsored terrorists were sent to hell,” the military’s media wing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), said in a statement, adding that weapons and explosives were recovered and follow-up clearance operations were underway.
In Lakki Marwat, police said counterterrorism units and local peace committees launched a coordinated operation against militants they described as “khwarij,” a term the Pakistani state uses for factions aligned with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an umbrella group of militants that primarily operates in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to police, six militants were killed and several others wounded during the operation, after authorities said militants had used drone-mounted devices to target residential homes, injuring civilians.
“Protection of life and property of the public is the police’s top priority, and strict, indiscriminate action against khwarij and other anti-peace elements will continue,” Bannu Region Deputy Inspector General Sajjad Khan said in a statement released by the regional police office.
The two operations highlight Pakistan’s parallel security challenges in its western regions.
In Balochistan, separatist groups accuse the federal government and military of marginalizing ethnic Baloch communities and denying them a fair share of the province’s mineral wealth, allegations Islamabad denies.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the TTP has intensified attacks on security forces and civilians since the Afghan Taliban’s return to power in Kabul in 2021.
Pakistan has repeatedly said these militant groups operating in both provinces receive backing from India and find shelter in Afghanistan, claims denied by New Delhi and Kabul.
Pakistani authorities said counterterrorism operations will continue nationwide under a campaign approved by the federal government to curb militancy and restore security.
