Sensing defeat, loyalists are jumping out of Imran Khan’s sinking ship in Pakistan

New Delhi, March 9: Days before the no-confidence vote, another close aide of Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, Abdul Aleem Khan, has decided to join the dissident group of ruling party led by Imran Khan's friend-turned- foe, estranged party leader Jahangir Khan Tareen.

Aleem Khan's announcement comes as a major blow to Imran Khan and his government as it grapples with a chronic economic crisis and rising inflation amid reports of strained ties with the all-powerful military. Like Tareen, Aleem Khan is a rich politician of Pakistan who owns Samaa TV and other business groups. He had been with Imran Khan since 2012.

"All those people, who worked for Naya Pakistan alongside Imran Khan, are ignored and humiliated. All of us who were part of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and were sincere, let us all come together on one platform," Aleem asked all his party members to join Tareen's group according to the Pakistani media.

"Aleem controls about 12 parliamentarians and Jahangir Khan Tareen has a block of 31 members of the ruling PTI in the Pakistan National Assembly, which is known as Forward Block and if they are going to vote against Imran Khan, then Khan's defeat is certain," says Akhtar Jamaal, a member of the Pakistani think-tank.

Feeling the heat, Imran Khan cancelled all his important cabinet meetings on Monday and huddled with his "core" members of the party. According to insiders, Khan asked them to get the dissidents back at any cost.

"Unlike the past, this time the hand of the military establishment is nowhere to be seen in all political activities and that is the main problem for us," an insider says quoting one senior member of the ruling party.

While Imran Khan's woes are multiplying day by day, there are flurry of activities in the combined opposition, which has further increased on account of its long march, which is to enter the capital Islamabad on March 8.

"Homework is complete and the motion would soon be presented," claim top opposition leaders, Asif Ali Zardari, Shehbaz Sharif and Maulana Fazlur Rehman, after a meeting, which was held on Monday to finalise the roadmap and strategy and dates for tabling the requisition of National Assembly session and no-confidence motion.

According to the Pakistani media, the opposition has finalised the date but refused to give further details, but it could be done in the next 24-48 hours.

"Imran Khan using abusive language shows his desperation. We are 100 per cent confident that the no-confidence motion will be successful," Maulana Fazl Rehman, the leader of the combined opposition, told the media.

The stakes for the opposition are very high. A failed attempt would be a huge political setback. There is no precedent in Pakistan's political history of any elected government having been ousted by a vote of no-confidence. But then, given the volatile state of Pakistani politics, strange permutations and combinations are possible.