Ally of ex-Pakistan PM wins confidence vote in blow to gov’t

LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — Officials say a key political ally of Pakistan’s former prime minister has won a confidence vote in the Punjab Assembly to remain in his position as the top elected official. Pervez Elahi secured 186 votes in the 371-seat Punjab Assembly to retain his position as the chief minister. The pre-dawn vote Thursday came weeks after the provincial governor, Balighur Rehman, sacked Elahi, claiming he had lost the majority in the provincial legislature. The development was a major blow to the federal government of Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, whose party is in opposition in the country’s most populous province.