No-trust motion: After Imran Khan, Opposition targets Usman Buzdar

LAHORE: The joint Opposition Monday submitted a no-trust motion against Chief Minister Usman Buzdar in the Punjab Assembly.

According to the details the no-trust motion has been submitted with the Punjab Assembly secretariat. The no-confidence motion was signed by 126 MPAs, including Rana Mashood, Ramzan Siddique, Malik Ahmed and Mian Naseer.

“CM Usman Bazdar has lost the confidence of the majority of the House,” read the resolution.

It said that the chief minister is not running the affairs of Punjab as per the Constitution and he has ruined the democratic norms in the province.

The political experts were of the view that the Opposition’s move is aimed at blocking Buzdar's plan to dissolve the assembly. It was reported on Saturday that the CM was preparing a draft to dissolve the assembly. However, the government spokesperson denied the report.

Number game in Punjab Assembly

• PTI – 183
• PML-N – 165
• Pakistan Muslim League – 10
• PPP – 7
• Independent – 5
• Pakistan Rah-e-Haq – 1

According to Rana Mashood, the Opposition has also filed a requisition for the Punjab Assembly session. He maintained that 119 MPAs signed the requisition to convene the PA session.

As per the Constitution, the speaker is bound to convene the session in a maximum of 14 days for voting after submission of the no-confidence motion.

Now, CM Usman Bazdar required the support of 182 out of total 371 lawmakers to thwart the no-confidence motion against him.

‘Don’t want incompetent CM’

Talking to journalists after submitting the motion, PML-N leader Rana Mashhood, while criticizing Usman Buzdar, said that they do not want an incompetent chief minister.

Lashing out at the ruling PTI, he said that the government made new records of corruption and violated the merit and did not provide any relief to the masses.

The PTI leadership will be held accountable for their corruption, he vowed. The PML-N leader said that they would expose their scams before the people and will take them to the institutions.

‘We have enough numbers’: Hasaan Khawar

Reacting to the no-confidence motion against CM Buzdar, Punjab government spokesperson Hasaan Khawar claimed that they have enough numbers to thwart the no-trust resolution.

“We will give surprise to the Opposition in Punjab,” he said.

The spokesperson hoped that the PML-Q and disgruntled Jahangir Khan Tareen’s (JKT) group will support the government on the no-trust motion. He maintained that the majority of the lawmakers are with CM Buzdar.