No-trust motion: It’s too late for PM Imran Khan, says PML-Q leader

• PML-Q leader says standard of popularity cannot be determined through public gatherings.
• Says popularity will be decided in National Assembly.
• Kamil Ali Agha says PM should have gone himself to meet the Chaudhry brothers. 

LAHORE: Senior PML-Q leader Kamil Ali Agha Friday dashed government hopes of support in the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying “it’s too late” for the premier.

In an attempt to foil the opposition’s no-trust move, the PTI government is wooing its allies as Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood will meet with PML-Q’s Pervez Elahi today, whereas MQM-P leadership will call on PM Imran Khan in Islamabad.

Expressing his views in Geo news programme Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Saath about his party’s policy after reports emerged that the foreign minister will meet the Punjab Assembly speaker, Kamil Ali Agha said it is too late for the prime minister and castigated the government’s decision of holding a power show rather deal with the matter in the assembly.

In view of the PM's decision to hold a massive power show in Islamabad on March 27, the PML-Q leader maintained that the standard of popularity cannot be determined through public gatherings as there are other political parties, who can also hold big processions in the country.

“Rather than countering no trust move government is playing Jalsa Jalsa, although parliament has to decide the fate of no-trust motion,” he said.

Kamil Ali Agha said that the government has taken enough time on the no-trust move that even their own MNA’s had fled.

“It’s too late for the prime minister to cajole allies as the decision might have been taken by them,” he added.

He went on to say that standard of popularity would be decided in parliament and whoever has the number will be called popular, this is the only way that would set a benchmark of popularity.

Responding to today’s meeting of PML-Q leadership with Shah Mehmood Qureshi, he said that PM should have gone himself to meet the Chaudhry brothers instead of Shah Mehmood.

The government has so far failed to obtain clear support from any of its allies who are also in talks with the Opposition on the no-trust motion.

The National Assembly is scheduled to take up the motion on Monday and hold voting on it within the next week that will decide the fate of Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is confident of defeating the Opposition.