Lahore: In a bid to head off a possible vote of no confidence, Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was seen driving his car to visit key opposition leaders since Monday morning.
He began his day with a meeting with Punjab Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif at his Lahore residence. He described the meeting a routine matter
Later, he went to the Zahoor Elahi Palace to meet Chaudhry brothers, where he managed to get ‘some support’ against the condition of good governance, for which the PPP-led government has been under extreme pressure from the opposition, media and some coalition partners.
Gilani’s government lost its parliamentary majority on Sunday after the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) announced it would go into opposition over government fuel price policies that it said were “unbearable” for Pakistanis.
Pakistani stocks opened 1.43 percent lower on Monday after the MQM switched political allegiance, dealers said. The government is also struggling to avoid economic collapse and meet the demands placed by the International Monetary Fund.
In the evening, the National Assembly session began with a walkout from the MQM, having stronghold in Karachi, which saw several target killings, including the local leader of Muttahida Qaumi Movement, Adil Jafferi, throughout the day.
Opposition leader Chaudhry Nisar, in his speech in parliament, urged the government to immediately withdraw the recent increase in the prices of petroleum products, on which the MQM parted ways with coalition government, sparking political crisis in the country. Â The Speaker adjourned the session, drawing criticism from opposition that the government was buying time to get support for survival.
President Asif Ali Zardari, in the evening, called Gilani and assured his support over phone, his spokesman Farhatullah Babar said in a statement.
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