ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan’s ministers met the government’s key coalition allies on Saturday, in a bid to win their support as the opposition gears up to vote a no-confidence motion against the premier next week.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), the government’s coalition partner, has recently criticized Khan's cabinet and held meetings with opposition parties to discuss the no-trust vote against him.
With five seats in the National Assembly, the PML-Q’s support is crucial — without it the government can lose its majority in parliament.
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Defense Minister Pervez Khattak visited senior PML-Q leader Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi at his residence.
Speaking to the media after the meeting, the foreign minister said it was part of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf's "contacts with the allied parties," the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
"Allah has never sent (us back) empty-handed," he replied to question whether they were successful in wining PML-Q's support.
The PML-Q has grown in importance over the past couple of days, with both government and opposition leaders trying to woo it to their camp ahead of the crucial vote.
The opposition, which needs a simple majority of 172 votes in the 342-member National Assembly, says it has the numbers to oust Khan. The prime minister has repeatedly said the opposition would face a defeat.
