In the midst of an ongoing dispute with the court over the release of funding for snap elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has obtained the vote of confidence he requested from the National Assembly.
After former premier Imran Khan was removed from office by a no-confidence vote last year, Shehbaz Sharif, who heads a ruling coalition in the Centre, was chosen to take his place.
The prime minister received 180 votes against the 172 required to win the vote of confidence after a resolution was tabled by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari in the 342-member National Assembly.
“The National Assembly of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan reposes its full confidence in the Leadership of Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, as the Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” the resolution read.
Despite a Supreme Court decision, the parliament rejected a money bill that would have released Rs 21 billion to the Election Commission of Pakistan for elections in both provinces, prompting the prime minister to call for a vote of confidence.
The highest court hinted that the premier had lost the National Assembly’s confidence after the bill was rejected during the hearing of the case of the election since the government was unable to get its legislation through the lower house of parliament.
In its order, the apex court stated: “In terms of the system of parliamentary democracy envisaged by the Constitution, the [prime minister] must enjoy the confidence of the majority of the NA at all times.”
Former prime minister Imran Khan also secured a vote of confidence from the National Assembly in March 2021 after its party suffered defeat in Senate elections.
