50 Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawmakers may vote for Hamza Sharif in Punjab CM's election: Interior Minister

Pakistan Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has said that at least 50 members of Imran Khan's party are expected to vote for Hamza Shehbaz as the Chief Minister of Punjab province on Friday.

"Not five, but 50 PTI MPAs can either use their right to vote (for Hamza) or they might refrain from casting their votes altogether," the Federal Minister said during a press conference on Thursday, The News International reported.

Speaking on the "Geo Pakistan" programme, Sanaullah claimed that two lawmakers of the PML-N took money to switch allegiance ahead of the Chief Minister's election in Punjab province.

Ahead of tomorrow's election, former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan presided over the parliamentary party meeting of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), local media reported.

The parties have claimed a majority over each other, The Nation reported, adding that the meeting was attended by 186 members of the provincial assembly, while Deputy Speaker Punjab Assembly Dost Muhammad Mazari did not participate in the meeting.

On Wednesday, Imran Khan alleged that Pakistan Peoples' Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari was offering PKR500 million to PTI's Punjab Assembly lawmakers to buy their votes, and he should be jailed over this act.

Taking to Twitter, the PTI chairman said that currently, we are experiencing the same situation in Lahore as we saw horse trading in Sindh House, adding that the mastermind behind the current wave of horse trading is Asif Zardari and he is offering MPAs Rs 500 million to buy their votes.

"Zardari got NRO for his corruption and now buying votes with looted wealth, he should be jailed," the former PM said.

In another Tweet, he penned that "Horse trading is not only an attack on our democracy but also the moral fabric of our society."

Notably, Imran Khan's party on Sunday made a "clean sweep" in the crucial Punjab assembly by-polls, in a major blow to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif whose Chief Minister son Hamza Shehbaz is all set to lose his post.

( With inputs from ANI )