Politics

PM Khan wins vote of confidence vote from Pakistan parliament

Islamabad, Mar 6 (efe-epa).- Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan won a vote of confidence in the lower of parliament on Saturday in a session boycotted by the opposition.

Khan, who came to power in mid-2018, secured 178 votes, six more than needed to win the confidence of the 342-member house, according to National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser.

The prime minister had volunteered to seek a confidence vote after his Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh lost an election to a high-profile Senate seat in Islamabad on Wednesday.

An alliance of opposition parties, the Pakistan Democratic Movement, decided to boycott the parliament session, saying the defeat in the Senate seat was enough to show that Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) had lost the confidence of the lower house.

Some opposition leaders protested outside the National Assembly, leading to clashes with supporters of the ruling PTI.

The electoral defeat of Khan’s minister indicated that some of his ruling coalition partners or even party members voted against his candidate.

The defeat propelled the opposition’s demand, calling for the prime minister’s resignation.

They have been claiming for months now that he came to power because of rigged elections with the approval of Pakistan’s all-powerful army.

The opposition alliance began holding protests across the country in October last year, sparking political tensions in the country of 200 million people. EFE-EPA

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