BREAKING: Pakistan PM Imran Khan wins trust vote in National Assembly

Prime Minister Khan secured 178 votes in the 342-member lower house of Parliament during a special session convened on the directives of President Arif Alvi.

A total of 172 votes was needed for a simple majority.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been accused by the opposition of pushing stringent laws, ostensibly required to fulfil its FATF commitments, that can be used to target them(REUTERS)

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday won a trust vote in the National Assembly amid a boycott call by the Opposition parties, strengthening his government’s legitimacy after an embarrassing defeat of the finance minister in the hotly-contested Senate elections.

Prime Minister Khan secured 178 votes in the 342-member lower house of Parliament during a special session convened on the directives of President Arif Alvi. A total of 172 votes was needed for a simple majority.

The floor test took place without the Opposition as the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) – an alliance of 11 parties – boycotted the voting.

The 68-year-old cricketer-turned politician had decided to take a vote of confidence in the lower house of Parliament after his finance minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh was defeated in the closely-fought Senate election on Wednesday. The Opposition demanded the Prime Minister’s resignation after the debacle.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi tabled a single-point resolution in the House.

“That this House reposes confidence in the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, Mr Imran Khan, as required under clause (7) of Article 91 of the Constitution Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” the resolution said.

On Friday, Prime Minister Khan chaired a meeting of parliamentary parties at the Prime Minister House (PMH) in which all Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) of the ruling alliance were asked to vote for the prime minister otherwise they can be disqualified.

According to a Cabinet member, 175 lawmakers of the ruling coalition attended the parliamentary party meeting at PMH.

Khan also held separate meetings with leaders of the ruling coalition partners. All allied parties — the MQM, the PML-Q and the GDA pledged their support to him.