42% feel no-confidence motion against PM Imran Khan will be successful: survey

• 26% respondents think government can defeat no-trust motion.
• 27% want Shahbaz Sharif as interim prime minister.
• 44% want Imran Khan to resign before motion is laid.

KARACHI: As many as 42% of respondents of an opinion poll feel the no-trust motion would succeed and Prime Minister Imran Khan must quit before the voting, The News reported Friday.

The findings were made during a survey conducted by Ipsos comprising a sample size of 1,000 people.

While 42% of respondents were of the view that the Opposition would succeed, 26% said the government would successfully defeat the no-confidence motion and 31% responded that they did not know what the outcome would be.

To a question that if the no-confidence motion becomes successful, 27% thought Shehbaz Sharif should be the interim PM, 17% said Bilawal Bhutto and 6% expressed a preference for Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

After the general elections, 18% preferred Nawaz Sharif to become the prime minister, 16% opted for Imran Khan and 14% for Shahbaz Sharif.

According to the survey, a greater number — 48% — think the allies of the incumbent government should support the Opposition, while only 27% of the respondent said the PTI coalition partners should back Imran Khan in the upcoming no-confidence motion.

As many as 26% of the respondents said they “do not know.”

The pollster asked if the prime minister should opt for resigning ahead of the no-trust motion, to which as many as 44% said they favoured Imran Khan resigning now before the motion was laid; 33% thought he should fight the motion.