In an attempt to stop the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) from dissolving the provincial assembly, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Monday submitted a no-confidence motion against Chief Minister Parvez Elahi in Punjab Assembly.

Opposition lawmakers, including PML-N’s Mian Marghoob, Khalil Tahir Sindhu, and Khawaja Imran Nazir submitted the no-trust motion. Meanwhile, PPP Parliamentary Leader Hassan Murtaza was also present at the Punjab Assembly Secretariat.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah confirmed the development during the Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Ke Saath’.

On Saturday, deposed prime minister Imran Khan announced the dissolution of the provincial assemblies in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on December 23 (Friday).

Since the announcement, the federal government was mulling ways to counter the PTI’s plan of dissolving assemblies. Earlier sources told Geo News, the PPP Co-Chairman Asif Ali Zardari had directed Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) allies to submit the no-confidence motion against chief minister Punjab.

Immediately after the resolution was submitted by the delegation of PPP and PML-N leaders, Punjab Governor Baligh ur Rehman directed CM Elahi to seek a vote of confidence from the assembly on December 21.

According to an order, shared by the PML-N on its official Twitter handle, the governor said that the chief minister has “lost the confidence of his party president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain and members of his own party belonging to the PML-Q”.

“It is widely known that over the last few weeks serious differences of opinion erupted between two coalition parties of the ruling alliance in the Punjab Assembly i.e. PTI and PML-Q regarding political strategies, dissolution of the assembly, development schemes, and transfers of public officials,” it stated.

The order highlighted that the aforementioned differences became evident after the chif minister appointed a member of the assembly namely, Khayal Ahmad, to provincial cabinet without the knowledge of PTI Chairman Imran Khan.