By Hamza Ameer Islamabad, March 9 : It seems that Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government is going to be strongly challenged by the opposition as major political parties from the opposition benches have joined together and have submitted a no-confidence motion against the premier in the National Assembly of Pakistan. The move comes amid joint opposition parties, including Pakistan Muslim League -- Nawaz (PML-N), Pakistan People Party (PPP), Jamiat Ulema Islam -- Fazl (JUI-F) and other members decided to oust the ruling government of Imran Khan, aimed at dissolving the assemblies and moving towards early elections. "This government has inflicted unprecedented damage on the country's economy during its almost four year in power," said PML-N leader Shahbaz Sharif. "Inflation has touched historic highs.. the lives of masses have been made miserable by the selected prime minister," he added. Former President and Chairman of Pakistan People Party (PPP) Asif Ali Zardari, while addressing a joint press conference of opposition parties, said Pakistan is in a state of severe crisis, which he said, can only be averted and tackled through a joint effort from all democratic representatives. Talking about the no-confidence motion, which requires at least 172 votes in support to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan, Zardari said that the opposition parties have already gathered support or more than the required number. "Not only opposition but the ruling PTI lawmakers are also fed up with their government because they have to contest elections and go back to their constituencies," he said. As per sources, representatives of the opposition parties submitted the no-confidence motion to Additional Secretary Muhammad Mushtaq with signatures of at least 86 members. While the opposition parties are confident that they have the required numbers to turn the tables of the ruling government, Prime Minister Imran Khan seems confident that this attempt to oust him will also be met with a defeat to the opposition benches. As per statistics and current standing in the National Assembly, the opposition parties need at least 172 votes to oust the Prime Minister out of a total of 342 members. At the moment, opposition members in the assembly stand at 162, while senior leaders claim that they have gained support of many others from the government benches, adding that the total number of votes in support of the no-confidence motion would be at least 180. On the other hand, government benches, including that of the Prime Minister, do seem to get into a huddle as Imran Khan has started to reach out to the allies to ensure they stand behind him against the opposition's political attack. /IANS