Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Dr Babar Awan said on Wednesday that MNAs of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf and its allies would not be present in the House on the day the opposition's resolution for a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan would be taken up for voting in the National Assembly (NA).

       Awan, in an interview with Dawn News TV, said that only NA Speaker Asad Qaiser will be present at the session, adding that "I do not have a vote so I, too, will go."

       The PM's adviser said that the session for voting on the no-confidence motion was likely to be called at a place other than the usual as "the floor of the House where sessions take place is being renovated."

       He implied that there was a foreign hand behind the opposition's no-trust move, saying: "Maulana (Fazlur Rehman) has called on Biden for help and in this situation, it is now clear from where the agenda is being run and support [is coming] ... The West is being called on help to remove an elected prime minister."

       Awan also defended PM Imran for his criticism of European Union countries for asking Pakistan to vote against Russia during the special session of the United Nations General Assembly held recently.

       "There is no example in the world's history of diplomats engaging in an act like this," he said.

       Awan said that a senator of the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl had even submitted a resolution calling for the House to take notice as to why PM Imran had disrespected foreign missions.

       "So the agenda is clear," he said.

       On the opposition's claim that it had enough votes in the NA for the no-confidence motion to succeed, he referred to past instances where the government had defeated the opposition in parliamentary votes as he maintained that the government had an upper hand in the "number game".

       "Those who they (the opposition) are calling and those who are trying to create an environment to support the opposition by speaking on the television and through their writings, it is going to be of no use to them (the opposition)," he said, without elaborating any further.