By Hamza Ameer

Islamabad, Mar 24 (IANS): The Imran Khan-led government in Pakistan is trying its best to counter the no-confidence motion moved before the National Assembly of Pakistan by the Opposition, which is aimed at ousting Khan from the countrys premiership.

The Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), a joint anti-Imran Khan alliance of at least 20 political parties, including Pakistan Muslim League–Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) and others, claims to have garnered the support of dozens of defected members and allies of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The PDM has vowed to vote Khan out of power through the no-confidence motion, expected to be part of the agenda during the Parliament session on March 25.

With the ministers and cabinet members struggling to convince the defected members to come back in support of Prime Minister Khan, opposition parties are working at fast pace to ensure they get more support from the government's allies and reach the magic number of 172 votes, required to claim majority support in the 342-seat National Assembly of Pakistan.

The government has now formulated a strategy to delay the process of voting on the no-confidence motion using legal and constitutional tactics.

As per sources, the government plans to delay the process of voting by terming the matter as pending before the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP), where the government has filed a Presidential Reference, seeking clarity from the top court over the interpretation of Article 63(A) of the Constitution, which relates to the tenure of disqualification of a sitting MNA (Member of National Assembly), who votes against its party leader, despite being elected on the same party's ticket.

It is believed that the Speaker of the National Assembly, Asad Qaiser, will raise concern over the legality of the votes of the defected members, who may vote against Prime Minister Khan on the day of polling on the no-confidence motion.

The Speaker has the discretion to adjourn the upcoming session on March 25 over the condolence reference for an MNA who passed away recently.

Sheikh Rasheed, the Interior Minister of Pakistan, had stated earlier that no voting can take place on March 25 because of the condolence reference, adding that the Speaker may convene the session for voting on either March 30 or April 1.

While the government seems clear on its delaying tactics, backdoor contacts are underway to address the concerns of the defected members and convince them to vote in favour of Khan.