Imran to seek confidence vote after the shocking defeat

ISLAMABAD: After witnessing the shocking defeat of a ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate in this week's Senate polls, Prime Minister Imran Khan has sought a vote of confidence from Parliament on Saturday, which is being seen as a symbolic move to ensure his standing as the country's premier.

Addressing the nation on Thursday, Khan announced the decision after some of his party members in the Senate voted for YousafRazaGilani, the joint opposition's nominee for Islamabad, over the PTI's Abdul Hafeez Sheikh in secret balloting. Gilani's victory came as a shock to Khan, who was quick to join heads to assess and absorb the blow.

Opposition parties have said that the PTI candidate's defeat has symbolically proven that the Prime Minister doesn't command the confidence of the Upper House anymore.

In his address, the Prime Minister offered to go into opposition if PTI MPs thought he was incompetent. "The opposition had a plan to use money in the Gilani-Sheikh contest. They spared no effort to break away from our lawmakers and offered them money. Their plan was to defeat Hafeez Sheikh to prove that Imran Khan has lost the majority in Parliament," he said.

"I will take a vote of confidence from the National Assembly on Saturday and am ready to sit on the opposition benches than giving amnesty to the opposition," he added.

Khan slammed the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for failing to hold fair and transparent Senate elections, accusing them of allegedly protecting those who made money by holding Senate elections through a secret ballot.

"ECP's failure to hold fair and transparent elections had damaged the country's morality and democracy," he said. The premier also called on his party members, who voted against his candidate in the secret balloting, to come out in the open and vote against him if they felt he was incompetent during the parliament session, summoned by President Arif Alvi.

According to the tally, out of 341 votes, 341 were polled. Gilani, also a former Prime Minister, bagged 169 votes, while the PTI's Sheikh bagged 164 ballots. Seven votes were rejected. (IANS)

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