Elahi to take vote of confidence shortly: Fawad,

LAHORE (Abdulrehman) – Punjab Assembly Deputy Speaker Wasiq Qayyum said on Wednesday that Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Chaudhry Parvez Elahi would take the vote of confidence on Thursday, as the PTI had decided to conduct a political power show in the Assembly instead.

Mr Qayyum had earlier took a half-hour long break and meanwhile the CM arrived in the Assembly after which the political temperature rose. But the PTI has decided to show number game only in the Assembly tonight while leaving the trust vote to Thursday.

Earlier,Fawad said Elahi will take the vote of confidence shortly, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senior Vice President Fawad Chaudhry said Wednesday, with the speaker delaying an ongoing session by an hour.

A session of the Punjab Assembly’s session is underway, with lawmakers from both treasury and opposition benches resorting to chanting slogans and ruckus — for the third consecutive day.

The PTI claims that it has the required numbers, but the opposition has stressed that several MPAs of the party are currently abroad and they could prove it through geo-fencing.

In conversation with a private television channel, Fawad said that a total of 185 lawmakers of the PTI and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) were present in the session, while two members were on their way to the assembly.

PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry wrote on Twitter, “Alhamdulillah, our number game is completed by 187. The CM would obtain vote of confidence anytime tonight”. “One of PTI s MPAs from Muzaffargarh was offered Rs1.2 billion [for changing loyalty]”, he added.

Sources privy to the development said the team of the provincial government was in contact to bring the lawmakers to the Punjab Assembly, adding that after the completion of the numbers game, the vote of confidence could be taken today.