Lawmakers have taken refuge in Sindh House: Yousuf Raza Gillani

Islamabad: Senate Opposition Leader Syed Yousuf Raza Gillani on Thursday said that the MNAs of his and other opposition parties have taken refuge at Sindh House for their safety, claiming that it was done at their request.

While addressing media in Islamabad, Gillani refuted allegations that the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) was involved in horse-trading at Sindh House. He maintained that only the lawmakers from opposition parties are staying there and that too on their own choice.

He said that the party with the highest numbers will be offered prime ministership after the ouster of incumbent Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan.

The ex-premier said he was removed from his post on judicial orders, not a no-trust motion, which is a democratic process.

He also accused ruling Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) of dragging the political situation towards a clash, saying that the parliament lodges were attacked by the police and lawmakers were assaulted.

Gillani claimed that Imran Khan is short of 172 votes. “If I were the prime minister, I would have shown 172 members,” he said.

PTI had earlier claimed some of its lawmakers were present at Sindh House at the opposition’s behest after Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Parvez Elahi said in a statement that around a dozen PTI MNAs had gone missing.

PM Imran had also claimed during a public rally in Swat that opposition leaders were present at Sindh House with a ‘plethora of money’ to purchase loyalties of PTI’s lawmakers ahead of the no-confidence vote.

However, PPP leaders had rebuffed claims by the government that the ruling party’s MNAs were staying at the building. They said that only members of PPP and other parties were staying at Sindh House as they were afraid of getting kidnapped before the no-trust vote.