ISLAMABAD: At least two dozen disgruntled MNAs of the ruling PTI have been shifted to the Sindh House after the police action in the Parliament Lodges, claimed PTI’s estranged leader Raja Riaz Thursday.
Talking to Geo News reporter Hamid Mir, Raja Riaz claimed that if Prime Minister Imran Khan assures all MNAs that no action will be taken against those who decided to vote against him on the day of the no-confidence motion, they are ready to go back to the Parliament Lodges.
PTI MNAs Malik Nawab Sher Waseer and Riaz said that around 24 PTI members have been staying in the Sindh House right now. He further said that many others are ready to come here, however, PML-N is unable to accommodate all the members.
Riaz, who is a member of the Jahangir Tareen Group, told Hamid Mir that the disgruntled members would vote for the no-confidence motion against PM Imran Khan in "accordance with their conscience."
Waseer also said he would not contest the next general elections on a PTI ticket.
While Riaz claimed that 24 members are staying in the Sindh House, Hamid Mir said that according to his counting, “20 PTI MNAs are present in Sindh House.”
The senior journalist said that several disgruntled leaders are avoiding the camera; however, he said that all of them have confirmed that the reason for staying at the Sindh House is out of fear.
"The disgruntled members fear that the government will take action against them similar to the March-10 raid by police on the Parliament Lodges," Mir confirmed.
According to sources, PTI members who are currently staying at the Sindh House include Raja Riaz, Nawab Sher Waseer, Rana Qasim Noon, Ghaffar Wattoo, Noor Alam Khan, Riaz Mazari, Basit Bukhari, Khawaja Sheraz, Ahmad Hasan Dehar, Nuzhat Pathan, and Wajeeha Akram.
Sources added that a list containing the names of the MNAs staying at the Sindh House has been sent to PM Imran Khan.
Meanwhile, MNA member Ramesh Kumar, who is also staying at the Sindh House, has announced that he has parted ways with the PTI.
As reported by Geo News, Kumar has claimed that three federal ministers have quit the ruling PTI. He, however, did not reveal the names of the ministers.
Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad urged the prime minister to impose governor's rule in Sindh. In a statement, the minister alleged that the Sindh House has been exposed, adding that the provincial money is being used for horse-trading.
Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani has said that the ouster of PM Imran is inevitable. Talking to journalists in Islamabad, the PPP’s minister claimed that they have reached the numbers to topple the PM Imran led government.
“A large number of MNAs, who is seen in the PTI’s camp today, will cast their votes against PM Imran Khan,” claimed the provincial minister. Reacting to the reports about the presence of PTI’s disgruntled lawmakers in the Sindh House, he said that the MNAs shifted to the house after feeling insecure in the Parliament Lodges.
Reacting to Riaz's statement, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry said that some “lotay” have been identified after they feared that action would be taken against them.
Taking to his official Twitter account, the minister wrote: “Had they been conscientious, they would have tendered their resignations.”
He urged the speaker of the National Assembly to take action against these “traitors” and demanded a lifetime disqualification for them.
Hub of horse-trading
Earlier today, in a bid to thwart the Opposition’s no-trust move, the PTI political committee meeting, headed by PM Imran Khan, decided that Islamabad's Sindh House will not be allowed to turn into a horse-trading hub, well-informed sources revealed.
The Sindh House started making headlines after a federal minister accused the PPP of using the building for its "nefarious designs."
On March 14, Federal Minister Ali Zaidi had claimed that the PPP has deployed additional SSU commandos at the building "to protect the bags of looted wealth #ZardariMafia brought to try & bribe our MNAs!"
Following up on his statement, the PTI minister also wrote a letter to Secretary Establishment, demanding an immediate inquiry on SSU Sindh DIG Maqsood Memon.
Sources privy to the matter said that the meeting decided to strictly monitor the lawmakers and Sindh House to ensure that no one falls prey to horse-trading.
Civilian intelligence agencies were directed to closely observe the location, mobile phone data and the movement of lawmakers, and report to the premier on a daily basis.
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