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dpa
Islamabad
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan will seek a fresh vote of confidence from the country’s parliament, a close aide said on Wednesday, after his party lost a crucial vote by MPs.
“We have decided that Prime Minister Khan will seek a fresh vote of confidence to see who is standing where,” Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoud Qureshi said in the capital Islamabad.
Qureshi was speaking at press conference after a former prime minister defeated the candidate of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, in a vote for the country’s Senate, one of two parliamentary chambers.
Members of the National Assembly, who also elect the prime minster, voted for the senator from a constituency in Islamabad in an indirect election.
Former premier Yousuf Raza Gillani, backed by the opposition alliance, gained 169 votes, against the 164 for the candidate of Khan’s party, the incumbent finance minister.
The loss means the government no longer has a majority in the house that elects the prime minister.
To win a confidence vote, a prime minister needs the support of at least 172 members, or half of the 342-seat National Assembly.
Political analysts say this will not be easy for Khan, who is midway through his five-year term.
The defeat comes as setback for Khan’s ruling alliance. He came to power in 2018 after national elections tainted by allegations that the country’s powerful military supported him.
Pakistan’s generals have ruled the country for decades and are accused of manoeuvring to handpick civilian governments to block the way of democratic leaders.
Khan’s latest setback comes weeks after his party candidates lost several by-elections.
Despite the defeat in the vote by MPs, Khan’s party won most seats from other constituencies. The senate was previously ruled by opposition groups, led by the party of former exiled leader Nawaz Sharif.
Islamabad
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan will seek a fresh vote of confidence from the country’s parliament, a close aide said on Wednesday, after his party lost a crucial vote by MPs.
“We have decided that Prime Minister Khan will seek a fresh vote of confidence to see who is standing where,” Foreign Minister Shah Mahmoud Qureshi said in the capital Islamabad.
Qureshi was speaking at press conference after a former prime minister defeated the candidate of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, in a vote for the country’s Senate, one of two parliamentary chambers.
Members of the National Assembly, who also elect the prime minster, voted for the senator from a constituency in Islamabad in an indirect election.
Former premier Yousuf Raza Gillani, backed by the opposition alliance, gained 169 votes, against the 164 for the candidate of Khan’s party, the incumbent finance minister.
The loss means the government no longer has a majority in the house that elects the prime minister.
To win a confidence vote, a prime minister needs the support of at least 172 members, or half of the 342-seat National Assembly.
Political analysts say this will not be easy for Khan, who is midway through his five-year term.
The defeat comes as setback for Khan’s ruling alliance. He came to power in 2018 after national elections tainted by allegations that the country’s powerful military supported him.
Pakistan’s generals have ruled the country for decades and are accused of manoeuvring to handpick civilian governments to block the way of democratic leaders.
Khan’s latest setback comes weeks after his party candidates lost several by-elections.
Despite the defeat in the vote by MPs, Khan’s party won most seats from other constituencies. The senate was previously ruled by opposition groups, led by the party of former exiled leader Nawaz Sharif.
