Khan to seek vote of confidence in Pak Parliament tomorrow ISMAIL DILAWAR & FASEEH MANGI

Pak PM pins blame on Opposition, election body for Senate poll results

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said he would seek a confidence vote in the National Assembly, or Parliament’s lower house, on Saturday after his finance minister lost an election for a seat in the upper house, the biggest test yet for his three-year-old government.

“If I lose the confidence vote, I will happily sit in the opposition benches,” Khan said in a televised speech to the nation. His speech came after his Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh lost a tightly fought battle for a seat in the indirectly elected house of Senate, or upper house, against the oppositionbacked former Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. Without naming, he alleged 15 or 16 of his lawmakers were bribed to vote against the partybacked candidate.

According to the Dawn Khan on

“The ECP protected those who made money by holding Senate elections through secret ballot... If I lose the confidence vote, I will happily sit in the Opposition benches” IMRAN KHAN,

Pakistan PM

Thursday lashed out at the opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) for "making a mockery of democracy", while also calling out the ECP for "protecting those who made money by holding the Senate elections through secret ballot".

The premier also met the powerful army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa and the head of the country’s spy agency, General Faiz Hameed earlier in the day, Geo television channel reported. Seats to the Senate are voted on by the directly elected members of the powerful National Assembly. The premier will either have to resign or dissolve the National Assembly and call for fresh elections if he fails to win the confidence vote. Shaikh had to win a Parliament seat to continue as the finance minister after June 11.

He is a key member in-charge of the government’s economic policies and reforms plan under the International Monetary Fund’s $6 billion loan program.

Khan could help the minister win another seat or re-appoint him as an economic adviser, where he would have fewer powers.