PML-N reminds Bilawal of no-confidence move pitfalls.

LAHORE -- The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz on Saturday asked Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari to show (the required) numbers before considering the move to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan through a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly.

'Tabling a no-confidence motion (against PM Khan in the NA) is an old suggestion of the PPP. However, if Bilawal Bhutto thinks he has (the required) numbers in this regard, he should show them,' said PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal while addressing a press conference.

The PPP chairman had on Friday said the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) government could be sent packing through constitutional, democratic and legal options such as through a no-confidence motion. All member parties of the opposition's Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) would be convinced to use this option and reach a consensus on the issue, he said, explaining that a no-confidence resolution could be tabled in the National Assembly against the 'selected' prime minister and the NA speaker.

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However, the PML-N is of the opinion that after having the 'bad' experience of failing to oust Senate chairman Sadiq Sanjrani, this proposal might not be viable.

Mr Iqbal told the media that proposals were discussed in the meetings of opposition alliance but decisions were made with consensus. 'As far as the PML-N is concerned, we think that we had the required numbers in the Senate (against chairman Sanjrani) but the move couldn't succeed. We witnessed in the Senate where the opposition had the majority numbers but no-confidence motion did not succeed.

'Therefore, the only option now left with the opposition is to go for the [planned] long march on Islamabad and the month of March is suitable for it,' the PML-N leader said.

Earlier in August 2019 the opposition despite having the majority 67 seats out of the 103 in the Senate could not pass the no-confidence motion against chairman Sanjrani, as at least 14 of their members defected.

Mr Iqbal said the PML-N was also not in favour of in-house change proposed by another party in the PDM. 'In-house change can be a proposal of any other opposition party, but we are not in favour of it as it is not a viable option. For this, horse-trading will have to be done and we are not in favour of it. In the Senate chairman (Sanjrani) election, we witnessed how 64 votes of the opposition...