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Ruling coalition partner becomes sole PTI ally that has yet to announce whether it will support government or opposition in no-trust vote
In a bid to woo the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) back into its fold, a senior delegation of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) met the party’s leaders in Islamabad on Monday and offered several incentives to convince them to vote against the no-confidence motion against P.M. Imran Khan.
According to a statement issued by the MQM, a PTI delegation comprising Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Planning Minister Asad Umar, Defense Minister Pervez Khattak, Sindh Governor Imran Ismail and Maritime Affairs Minister Ali Zaidi met the party’s convener, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, Amir Khan Wasim Akhtar, Law Minister Farogh Naseem, Khawaja Izharul Hassan, Kishwer Zehra, Kanwar Naveed Jameel, Sadiq Iftikhar, and I.T. Minister Aminul Haque at the latter’s residence in Parliament Lodges.
Per sources familiar with the meeting’s discussion, the PTI had offered to give the MQM another ministry—the party has long maintained it only has one seat, as it doesn’t ‘count’ the law ministry provided to Naseem—perhaps in the form of the shipping ministry. They said that the government had also agreed, in principle, to allow the MQM to reopen offices that have been shuttered for nearly 5 years.
Speaking with private broadcaster Geo News after the meeting, MQM leader Wasim Akhtar said the party had yet to finalize who it would support in the no-confidence motion. “We presented our demands to the government and they have asked for one or two days to resolve our issues,” he said, adding that the party does not currently have “any inclination” and would join hands with whoever could ensure its issues could be resolved.
The MQM has seven MNAs in the Lower House, a number that could easily tip the opposition over the 172 votes needed to ensure the prime minister is ousted. In recent press interactions, opposition leaders have claimed they do not need the support of the ruling coalition’s allies but would rather take everyone forward together in the national interest.