Pakistan opposition asks PM Imran Khan to resign

An upbeat opposition on Wednesday asked Prime Minister Imran Khan "to resign in an honourable way" after the defeat of the government's candidate Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh at the hands of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) candidate Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani in the Senate elections, reported Dawn.

Hours after the results of the elections on the Senate seats, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari asked Imran Khan, "If he (the prime minister) has honour then he should himself resign (from the office). Imran Khan should submit his resignation today as the demand for his resignation is no more only the opposition's demand but it has now become a demand of the government members as well."

The PPP chairman said that Gilani's victory was also an expression of a no-confidence on the International Monetary Fund (IMF)-dictated budget and a reaction of the people over the prevailing price hike and unemployment in the country.

Bilawal spoke at a news conference at the Zardari House with Gilani and other senior party leaders.

Moreover, Foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Wednesday said that PM Imran Khan will seek a vote of confidence from the parliament following the results of the Senate polls, reported Geo News.

Earlier, the PPP chairman had tweeted "Democracy is the best revenge Jiye Bhutto" soon after the announcement of the result, reported Dawn.

Later, a number of other opposition leaders, including the supreme leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Nawaz Sharif, through their social media accounts on Twitter, also felicitated Gilani and termed his election a "glorious victory".

PML-N president and opposition leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, in a statement, said that Gilani's victory was the expression of a no-confidence by lawmakers in Imran Khan's government, reported Dawn.

"Those who have destroyed the people and the country's economy and the vote thieves, sugar thieves and flour thieves have been exposed," said Sharif.

Shehbaz Sharif also presided over a meeting of the party's parliamentary group and senior leaders in which he bitterly criticised the government's performance, saying that he had never seen such a "worst government" in the country's history.

PML-N vice president Maryam Nawaz also tweeted, congratulating Gilani as well as the PDM leadership.

"Well done the PML-N.... congratulations to PML-N members who upheld the narrative of Nawaz Sharif... future is yours," said Maryam in her tweet.

In another post, she claimed that "the fake mandate has been snatched back by the people's representatives. Their own people, despite the pressure on them, refused to vote for [...] (Prime Minister) Imran Khan," she said, adding that the premier now had no right to occupy the Prime Minister House. Vote chor (thief), leave the chair."

Meanwhile, Gilani thanked the PDM leaders including Nawaz Sharif, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, Maryam Nawaz, Akhtar Mengal and others and said that he would personally visit these leaders to offer his gratitude.

(ANI)

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