PM Shehbaz Sharif to take Vote of Confidence from NA?

PM Shehbaz Sharif to take Vote of Confidence from NA?

Federal Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb has rubbished the reports about Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s decision to take a vote of confidence.

The prime minister did not decide to take a vote of confidence, she clarified in a tweet. There is no such consultation and there is no need for it, the information minister said, adding that the prime minister got the vote of the leader of the National Assembly on April 11, 2022.

The media should not air the news about Prime Minister without verification, tweeted the minister.

Earlier, reports cited sources as saying the premier is likely to take a big decision to overcome the current crisis and he asked allies to ensure the appearance of their lawmakers in the federal capital on April 27.

The reports come after the parliament rejected a bill related to election funding. A few days ago, the NA rejected the demand to disburse Rs21 billion in funds to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for the Punjab polls.

The federal cabinet will meet with the prime minister in the chair on Wednesday. The premier summoned the meeting to deliberate upon the situation. The cabinet will consider the situation that emerged in the wake of the consultative process among the political parties over the election.

The Supreme Court asked political parties to negotiate a solution acceptable to everyone, but the ruling alliance itself is reportedly split on whether PTI should be engaged or not. The top court rejected the requests made by the defence ministry and the ECP to put off polls till October. The court was told that the State Bank had allocated the funds for the elections, but the cabinet sent the matter to the parliament where it was rejected.

The court ruling read: “In terms of the system of parliamentary democracy envisaged by the Constitution the Government of the day must command the confidence of the majority of the National Assembly at all times.” The order also extended this to the fact that the PM must enjoy the confidence of the house.