Pakistan PM Imran Khan faces revolt from within his ruling party ahead of no-trust vote

The National Assembly session for the move is expected to be convened on March 21 and the voting is likely to be held on March 28

Nearly two dozen disgruntled lawmakers from Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's ruling party have openly threatened to vote against him on the no-confidence motion tabled in Parliament by the Opposition, in a fresh blow to the embattled premier struggling to cling to power.

Around 100 lawmakers from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) submitted a no-confidence motion before the National Assembly Secretariat on March 8, alleging that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) government led by Mr. Khan was responsible for the economic crisis and the spiralling inflation in the country.

The National Assembly session for the move is expected to be convened on March 21 and the voting is likely to be held on March 28. After the no-trust move was submitted by the joint Opposition, some of the partners in the government began to dither but the real shocker for Mr. Khan came on Thursday when it emerged that about 24 lawmakers from his own party were ready to part ways to join the push to topple his government.

Raja Riaz, one of the lawmakers, told Geo News that Mr. Khan had failed to control inflation while another lawmaker Noor Alam Khan told Samaa News that his multiple grievances were not addressed by the government.

“We are part of more than two dozen members who are not happy with the government policies,” Mr. Riaz said. “I raised the issue of gas shortage in my constituency many times but nothing was done,” said Mr. Alam Khan.

The disgruntled lawmakers have been staying at Sindh House in Islamabad which is a property of the Sindh government and run by the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Saeed Ghani, a Provincial Minister and spokesman of the Sindh government, said the lawmakers fear they will be abducted by the government.

Dr. Ramesh Kumar Vankwani is also among the PTI lawmakers staying at Sindh House. “I was threatened and requested the Sindh Chief Minister to give me a room here [Sindh House],” he was quoted as saying by the Dawn News.