MQM-P will announce decision two days before voting: Rana Sanaullah

• PML-N leader says allies will make public their decision after the day for voting on no-trust motion is fixed.
• Says Opposition was in 100% attendance in today’s NA session.
• "Our total strength is 162 in the Assembly," Sanaullah says.

The allies of the PTI government will make their announcement after the speaker fixes a day for voting on the no-confidence motion, said a senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader.

“The allies will make public their decision after the day for voting is fixed,” PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah told Geo.tv, “That is part of the strategy.”

Sanaullah added that matters with one coalition partner of the ruling party, the MQM-P, have been settled thus far. “They [the MQM-P] will announce their decision two days before the voting.”

Read more: As expected, crucial NA session on no-trust motion adjourned till Mar 28

In a previous meeting between the PML-Q and PML-N, Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain from the PML-Q suggested that the two parties be merged and contest the next polls as one political party in Punjab, revealed a source privy to the developments.

Sanaullah confirmed the news, but added that this option was still being discussed. “When you talk about a merger, you also have to discuss the seat allocation,” he said, “This will not be easy, but it is being looked into for now.”

Today, the speaker called a session of the National Assembly, but adjourned it after prayers for a deceased member. The vote of no-confidence will now be taken up in the lower house on March 28.

The PML-N leader said that the Opposition was in 100% attendance in today’s session.

Read more: Fawad Chaudhry has contacted me ahead of no-trust motion, claims Rana Sanaullah

“Our total strength is 162 in the Assembly,” he told Geo.tv, “Minus from that a member of the Jamaat-e-Islami, and one from PPP who is abroad, and also minus MNA Ali Wazir who is in jail. That leaves us with 159 members. All 159 were present today.”

Earlier, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid had claimed that MNAs from the Opposition are also in touch with the ruling party.

“I want to ask Sheikh Rashid: who is he in touch with? Because we were in 100% attendance today.”