The Pakistani government held a meeting today, Saturday, to discuss the political crisis in the country, while it was decided to postpone the parliament session to vote on no-confidence against Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Parliament’s vote was scheduled for Saturday, and the vote submitted by opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif was requested in the fourth item on today’s agenda. Days after Khan prevented a similar attemptwhich may increase the state of political and economic uncertainty in the nuclear-armed state.
Earlier, Khan, the former cricket star, vowed to “fight” against any move to oust him, the latest development in a crisis that threatens the political and economic stability of the South Asian nation of 220 million people.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that Khan broke the constitution last Sunday when he blocked a confidence vote It was scheduled for last Sunday, and dissolved parliament, and called for early elections. The court ordered the parliament to reconvene.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan
Khan, 69, rose to power in 2018 with the support of the military. But he recently lost his parliamentary majority when allies withdrew from his coalition government. Opposition parties say he has failed to revive the economy hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and has not fulfilled his promises to root out corruption from the country and make Pakistan a prosperous nation respected on the world stage.
The opposition and some analysts say Khan is at odds with the military, a charge he and the military deny. The military has ruled the country for half of its 75-year post-colonial history and no prime minister has completed his full five-year term.
Khan, who enjoyed wide public support when he took office, said he was disappointed with the court’s decision but agreed to it. He had called for elections after the parliament was dissolved. But he made it clear that he would not recognize any opposition government to replace him.
Imran Khan: ‘I am ready to struggle’
“I will not accept an imported government,” he said in an address to the nation late yesterday, noting that the move to oust him was part of a foreign plot and called for peaceful protests on Sunday. “I am ready to fight,” he said.
Khan opposed the US-led intervention in Afghanistan and has strengthened ties with Russia since becoming prime minister. He accuses the United States of supporting a plot to overthrow him without providing evidence of his accusation. Washington denies the accusation.
And if Khan loses the no-confidence vote, the opposition can nominate a prime minister from among its ranks.
Shahbaz Sharif, the younger brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, said after the court ruling that the opposition had nominated him to take over if Khan was impeached.