PM’s confidence vote: Rana Sanaullah rejects Fawad Chaudhry’s claims

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has rejected Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice President Fawad Chaudhry’s claims regarding the vote of confidence secured by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif from the National Assembly (NA) today, ARY News reported on Thursday.

Reacting to Chaudhry’s claims, Rana Sanaullah alleged, “The number of votes was completed by someone else for PTI. Fawad Chaudhry and Shireen Mazari are seemingly weak in counting and polling process.”

He added, “Fawad Chaudhry and Shireen Mazari know nothing about counting but cleverness. If [National Assembly] speaker cast his vote, then Shehbaz Sharif would secure 181 votes.”

Sanaullah clarified that the number of votes of the ruling coalition parties is 180 in the National Assembly (NA) and it does not include PTI votes.

پی ٹی آئی کے ووٹ کوئی اور پورے کرتا تھا اس لئے فواد چوہدری اور شیریں مزاری گنتی اور رائے شماری میں کمزور ہیں، انہیں گنتی نہیں صرف چلاکی آتی ہے۔ سپیکر اپنا ووٹ بھی ڈالتے تو وزیراعظم شہباز شریف کے ووٹ 181 ہوتے۔ حکمران جماعتوں کے ووٹوں کی تعداد 180 ہے۔

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— Rana SanaUllah Khan (@RanaSanaullahPK) April 27, 2023

Earlier, Fawad Chaudhry claimed that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has lost the trust of the majority of the Members of the National Assembly (MNAs).

In a Twitter message, Fawad Chaudhry claimed that PM Shehbaz Sharif was backed by just 160 MNAs instead of 172 in which 20 votes were belonging to the PTI lawmakers which cannot be counted in his favour.

He termed the vote of confidence exercise a big defeat for PM Sharif and Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

Earlier in the day, the premier successfully obtained a vote of confidence from the National Assembly by securing 180 votes.

Announcing the results, Speaker National Assembly Raja Pervaiz Ashraf said that 180 members of the house reposed “complete” confidence in Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s leadership.

The resolution, moved by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, stated: “The National Assembly of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan reposes its full confidence in the leadership of Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, as the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.”