Imran Khan has said he is willing to sit in the opposition if his party feels that he is “incompetent”.
Islamabad:
Addressing the nation after the Senate election blow, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has said he is willing to sit in the opposition if his party’s lawmakers feel that he is “incompetent”.
He also gave a warning to the country’s opposition that he will not spare anyone until “they return the nation’s money even if that meant losing the premiership.”
“All members [of PTI], this is your democratic right. If you feel I am incompetent, I will sit in the opposition,” Khan said while addressing the nation on Thursday.
“I am addressing the PDM right now, my message to them is that I will not spare anyone of you even if I lose power until you return the nation’s money,” he added.
Khan’s party suffered defeat on a key seat in the country’s Senate elections.
In a close vote, former Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani of the opposition Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) defeated Shaikh, who currently serves as the country’s finance minister, by 169 to 164 votes, according to unofficial results.
The result came as a blow to Khan’s PTI as his party and its allies control the National Assembly, and the implication is that some members or allies may have defected when they voted by secret ballot.
A session of the National Assembly has been summoned for Saturday where Prime Minister Khan will seek a vote of confidence from the parliament.
Khan on Thursday raised questions over the “performance and responsibility” of the country’s election body and pinned the blame on the opposition parties after losing the Islamabad seat.
Khan questioned the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) saying, “Your (ECP) major responsibility was transparency (during Senate polls) but why did you ask for a close ballot.”