Pakistan Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani on Thursday survived a no-confidence vote tabled by the Opposition, in a major setback for the Opposition parties who were confident of their victory.
Opposition leader Raja Zafar ul Haq moved the resolution of no-confidence against the chairman at the start of the session.
Total 100 senators took part in the voting in the House of 104, as two senators from Jamat-i-Islami abstained while two senator of PML-N were abroad and could not attend the session.
The Opposition has a total of 67 members, one of whom, has still not taken oath.
The resolution to move the no-confidence vote against Sanjrani had been passed comfortably by opposition senators, with 64 voting in its favour.
However, presiding officer Muhammad Ali Saif said that the no-confidence motion got 50 vote which fell below the mandatory 53 votes.
"The motion has failed to get the majority of total number of members of the House," Saif declared.
Five votes were rejected, while 45 were cast against the no-confidence motion.
Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information Firdous Ashiq Awan promptly hailed the result as "the victory of Pakistan's narrative".
Sanjrani was elected last year as chairman of the House with the support of the Pakistan People's Party when it joined hands with the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to humiliate then ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz.
But the political chess board changed since the general elections last year that brought PTI into power and pushed former rivals - PPP and PML-N closer to each other against the government.
Prime Minister Imran Khan earlier urged his party to make all efforts to foil the opposition's bid. "There is no reason to oust the chairman who is running the house efficiently," he said.
Sources said the leader of the House in the Senate, PTI's Senator Shibli Faraz, was tasked to contact opposition senators to support Sanjrani.
Separately, Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwala of the PPP also survived a no-confidence motion, which was moved by the government.
Only 32 Senators voted in the favour of the no-confidence motion against Mandviwala.
It was for the first time that non-confidence was moved against chairman and deputy chairman.
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