In a severe blow to the ruling party, two dozen Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawmakers, in interviews to different anchorpersons, announced to part ways with their party citing a host of reasons for their decision.
The lawmakers, who are currently taking refuge in the Sindh House owing to ‘security concerns’, announced that they will not follow party line and will vote against Prime Minister Imran Khan in the no-confidence vote.
They went on to say that they were staying at the Sindh House out of their own will and were going to vote against the premier because according to their conscience that is the right thing to do.
Raja Riaz told a private TV channel that they had moved to the Sindh House for security reasons as the Islamabad Police had earlier launched a raid at the Parliament Lodges and used for against lawmakers and arrested them.
Riaz, who belongs to the disgruntled Jahangir Tareen group, went on to add that he will be contesting the next elections from PML-N.
Another PTI MNA, Noor Alam Khan, said he was “very disappointed” to learn of the allegations being levelled against them regarding selling their votes.
PTI MNA Dr Ramesh Kumar Vankwani also went on to claim that three federal ministers had also left the ruling party.
He alleged that some PTI men had accused him of being a traitor and threatened him after which he approached Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to move to Sindh House.
The lawmakers surfaced from Sindh House a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan had claimed during his Swat rally that a number of PTI lawmakers were being kept in the Sindh House and accused the opposition of horse-trading.
The premier had urged the Election Commission of Pakistan to take notice of the tactics used by the opposition and reprimand lawmakers involved in floor crossing.
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said that MNAs have been threatened with “violence, arrest and dire consequences if they take part in no confidence process”.
“Their lives, liberty and family are under threat. MNAs will take any and all means for their own protection against this fascist regime,” he said in a tweet.
He went on to say that PPP and PDM will do all to protect them.
“We will not show all our cards now. IA a few friends will respond to IKs accusations. More to come in the coming days. Out of respect of OIC conference we don’t want anarchy in Islamabad. Government must not provoke us,” he cautioned.
