‘Number game over’: PTI says its strength in NA now 180

ISLAMABAD: After days of negotiations with small parties and independents, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) says it has won the ‘number game’ acquiring 180 seats against required 172 to form government at the Center.

According to party leader Fawad Chaudhary, the PTI has reached 180 seats in the National Assembly after Balochistan Awami Party (Mengal) lent its support to the Tehreek-e-Insaf.

On Wednesday, Akhtar Mengal pledged support for Imran Khan after inking a six-point deal with party leaders Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Jahangir Tareen.

The PTI leaders had flown to Quetta to meet Mengal and had requested his party’s support for Khan’s premiership. The party leaders reportedly took Imran Khan’s permission before inking the agreement.

Addressing media after inking the deal, Mengal said that the motive behind requesting PTI leaders to travel to Quetta was only to apprise them about the myriad of problems the province is facing, adding that he believes PTI can address the grievances of people of Balochistan.

PTI leader Shah Mehmood Qureshi, on the other hand, said that he and his party men were informed about the issues the province’s people are facing and will try their best to resolve them. He added that BNP-M will vote for PTI candidates for speaker, deputy speaker and prime minister slots in National Assembly.

Decision on new PM subject to the number game

As per procedure, if a party has a clear majority or the magical number of 172 votes, it can easily elect the Leader of the House in the National Assembly.

The PTI emerged as the single largest party with 115 seats in the 2018 general elections but fell short of a clear majority in the 342-member house.

According to the Constitution, if the PTI chief manages to secure 172 or more votes in the first round, the president is bound to call him to take the oath as the country’s next prime minister.

In case, he doesn’t get the required number, then there will be a second round of voting between the top two contestants for the slot. In this round, the winner will not need at least 172 votes but the contender who gets the majority of votes will be elected leader of the lower house.