\u201cIf anyone has any misunderstanding, they should remove it,\u201d he says
\nNews Desk
\nIslamabad
\nForeign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, while referring to Prime Minister Imran Khan, said on Friday that there was \u201cno room\u201d for minus one in the PTI.
\nAddressing a press conference alongside Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry and Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar in Islamabad, he said there was a rumour going on that \u201ceverything is okay but Imran Khan. Everything can be saved if we go towards minus one.\u201d
\nThe minister declared emphatically that there is \u201cno room for minus one\u201d in the PTI, adding that if anyone had any misunderstanding, they should remove it.
\n\u2018Show-cause notices will be issued to defectors\u2019
\nQureshi advised dissident MNAs, including those staying at Sindh House in Islamabad, to rethink their decision. Calling them \u201csensible\u201d people, Qureshi said the MNAs were aware of the law and the Constitution, as well as, the PTI\u2019s mandate.
\n\u201cIf they were elected on the bat (PTI\u2019s election symbol) there were hopes attached to them. There are disagreements in every party but these are resolved. You cannot sit in the lap of opponents.\u201d
\nWhen it was his turn to speak, Chaudhry claimed the PTI MNAs were being \u201cheld captive\u201d at the Sindh House.
\n\u201cThey should have the freedom to make their own decisions and be released,\u201d he said.
\nA day earlier, several MNAs from the ruling PTI, who had been \u2018in hiding\u2019 at the Sindh House, revealed themselves \u2014 proving that opposition claims of having won over members of the ruling coalition were indeed true.
\nThe revelation came a day after Prime Minister Imran Khan and some cabinet ministers accused the opposition of indulging in horse-trading ahead of the crucial vote on the no-confidence resolution, disclosing that Sindh House in Islamabad had become a centre for buying and purchasing members.
\nRaja Riaz, who belongs to the Jahangir Tareen group, reportedly claimed that there were 24 PTI members staying at Sindh House, while Noor Alam Khan put the number of dissidents over 24.
\nMost of these individuals, who joined the PTI before the 2018 elections, claimed that they were staying at the facility of their own will and they decided to shift here after observing some suspicious activities and receiving threats while lodging at Parliament Lodges.
\nAll of them refuted allegations that they had been offered money to make the opposition\u2019s no-trust move a success. The members, however, remained diplomatic when asked if they had decided to vote in support of the opposition\u2019s no-trust resolution against the prime minister, stating that they would vote according to their \u201cconscience\u201d.
\nDuring his presser today, the foreign minister told the lawmakers that the PTI was ready to listen to their \u201cvalid concerns\u201d, saying they would make a big political mistake if they went against party decisions.
\nHe appealed to them to reconsider their decision and to weigh their choices with a \u201ccool mind\u201d and make a decision that was not against their party.
\nQureshi added that the PTI\u2019s political committee had decided in accordance with the law, Constitution and ethics that if the MNAs \u2014 despite the appeal \u2014 chose to become dissidents, they would be issued show-cause notices and a presidential reference would be moved against them.
\nThe minister\u2019s comments come hours after Chaudhry said the government would file a reference in the Supreme Court, asking it to interpret Article 63 (A) of the Constitution, which is related to disqualification of parliamentarians on grounds of defection.
\n\u201cThe Supreme Court will be asked about the legal status of the vote of party members when they are clearly involved in horse-trading and change their loyalties in exchange for money,\u201d he said.
\nChaudhry said the Supreme Court would also be asked for advice on whether those who change their party loyalties for financial reasons would be disqualified for life or allowed to contest elections again.
\nAccording to Article 63 (A) of the Constitution, a parliamentarian can be disqualified on grounds of defection if he \u201cvotes or abstains from voting in the House contrary to any direction issued by the parliamentary party to which he belongs, in relation to election of the prime minister or chief minister; or a vote of confidence or a vote of no-confidence; or a money bill or a Constitution (amendment) bill\u201d.
\nThe article says that the party head has to declare in writing that the MNA concerned has defected but before making the declaration, the party head will \u201cprovide such member with an opportunity to show cause as to why such declaration may not be made against him\u201d.
\nDuring the press conference today, Chaudhry said the SC had been approached to clarify \u201cwhether Constitution allows horse-trading\u201d.
\n\u201cWe have also asked the Supreme Court that lawmakers who will be disqualified in this case, whether they will be allowed to contest elections again or will they be disqualified for life,\u201d he added.
\nHe said the reference for this purpose would be filed on Monday.<\/p>\n
\u2018Allies will not part ways\u2019
\nEarlier in the press conference, Qureshi asserted that the PTI\u2019s allies would not part ways with the ruling party and make \u201cpolitical decisions\u201d.
\nThe foreign minister said the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid, a key ally of the PTI in the centre and Punjab, \u201cis a political family that makes political decisions, not emotional decisions\u201d.
\n\u201cIt there is a need to make them understand where they stand for the PML-N,\u201d he added, recalling that it was, in fact, the \u201cPML-N that had laid thorns in their path during the 2018 general elections\u201d.
\nThe PTI, on the other hand, had been supporting them, Qureshi said.
\nSo, he said, \u201cin my political opinion, they will never trust the PML-N\u201d.
\nIn this connection, he also spoke about speculations that the PML-Q had been offered the position of Punjab chief minister.
\n\u201cBut for how long with the chief minister be able to continue working and working effectively if there will be a majority of PML-N lawmakers in the National Assembly and PML-N ministers in the federal cabinet?\u201d he questioned.
\nThe minister said he did not expect the PML-Q to make \u201cnon-political\u201d decisions.
\nHe further said that there was speculation about the MQM-P parting ways with the government.
\n\u201cBut this will be illogical if the MQM part ways relying on the PPP,\u201d he added. \u201cThis will not be a political decision and I don\u2019t believe that the MQM will make this decision.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\u201cIf anyone has any misunderstanding, they should remove it,\u201d he says News Desk Islamabad Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, while referring to Prime Minister Imran Khan, said on Friday that there was \u201cno room\u201d for minus one in the PTI. Addressing a press conference alongside Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry and Planning and Development Minister Asad […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":187968,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[5095,158],"class_list":{"0":"post-250097","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-top-news","8":"tag-no-room","9":"tag-pti"},"yoast_head":"\n