Kamran Haider and Ismail Dilawar
Sat, April 9, 2022
(Bloomberg) -- Pakistan lawmakers ousted former cricket star Imran Khan as prime minister in a no-confidence vote, ending his four-year run as leader after he clashed with the country’s powerful military and Asia’s second-fastest inflation eroded support.
A united opposition bloc cobbled together 174 lawmakers to vote against Khan after midnight in Islamabad, two more than required to remove him from office. Parliament will convene again on Monday to pick a new prime minister, which will almost certainly be opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif.
“A new morning is beginning, a new day is about to start,” Sharif told lawmakers after the results were declared in the early hours of Sunday. “The prayers of millions of Pakistanis have been heard.”
The political shakeup in the world’s fifth-most populous nation is likely to immediately rebalance Pakistan’s foreign policy more toward the U.S. and Europe. Khan had shifted Pakistan closer to Russia and China, and sought to sabotage the no-confidence vote by claiming the Biden administration conspired with the opposition to remove him from power.
A Sharif-led government is also likely to help secure about $3 billion left from an International Monetary Fund loan needed to bolster foreign reserves and the currency. The rupee is trading near a record low against the U.S. dollar and foreign currency reserves have dropped to the lowest in about two years, enough to cover a couple months of imports. The central bank surprised analysts last week with the biggest rate hike since 1996.
Ahead of his ouster, Khan called on supporters to protest peacefully after evening prayers on Sunday. A national vote must be held by August 2023, and Khan is already pressuring the opposition to go to the polls.
Khan’s loss came after a fallout with Pakistan’s army over a range of issues, including interference in military promotions, his rocky relationship with the U.S. and management of the economy. Pakistan’s military has ruled the country for almost half of its 75-year history, and no prime minister has completed a full term in that time.
Khan didn’t go quietly. Last weekend, his party shocked Pakistan when one of his allies canceled the no-confidence vote over the foreign interference claims, after which Khan quickly called an election. Pakistan’s opposition called the move treasonous, as the constitution doesn’t allow parliament to be dissolved during a no-confidence debate.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court later rejected Khan’s rationale for scrapping the vote and ordered the no-confidence vote to go ahead on Saturday. During the parliament session, Khan’s party triggered multiple adjournments by repeating claims without showing evidence that the U.S. wanted to oust his government -- an allegation the Biden administration has denied.
When the vote finally took place, opposition lawmakers cheered and clapped as the numbers were called out. Television channels showed opposition party flags being waved on the street and celebratory fireworks and gunfire sounded in Karachi and Islamabad.
(Updates throughout)
Imran Khan dismissed as Pakistan PM in no-confidence vote
Imran Khan was dismissed Sunday as Pakistan's prime minister after losing a no-confidence vote in parliament following weeks of political turmoil.
A new premier will be chosen Monday, with Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) chief Shehbaz Sharif almost certain to be picked to lead the nuclear-armed nation of 220 million people.
No prime minister has ever served a full term in Pakistan, but Khan is the first to lose office this way.
Opposition supporters took to the streets early Sunday, waving national and party flags from car windows as they raced through the streets.
There had been a massive security presence in the capital, but no incidents were reported.
Acting speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said 174 lawmakers had voted in favour of the motion, "consequently the vote of no confidence has passed".
Lost his majority
Khan, 69, who was not present, lost his majority in the 342-seat assembly through defections by coalition partners and even members of his own party, and the opposition had needed just 172 votes to dismiss him.
He tried everything to stay in power — including dissolving parliament and calling a fresh election — but the Supreme Court deemed all his actions illegal last week, and ordered the assembly to reconvene and vote.
There was drama right until the midnight deadline ordered by the Supreme Court, with the speaker of the assembly -- a Khan loyalist -- resigning at the last minute.
In the end, the session continued through to Sunday with a replacement.
"We will put a balm on the wounds of this nation," Sharif said immediately after the result was announced.
Militancy on the rise
Whoever takes over will still have to deal with the issues that bedevilled Khan: soaring inflation, a feeble rupee and crippling debt.
Militancy is also on the rise, with Pakistan's Taliban emboldened by the return to power last year of the hard-line Islamist group in neighbouring Afghanistan.
Tempers rose in the assembly when Sharif insisted a vote be held immediately — as ordered by the Supreme Court on Thursday — but Khan loyalists demanded discussion first on their leader's claims there had been foreign interference in the process.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi accused the opposition of leading the country down a dangerous path.
"History will expose all those, who set the stage for this move to topple the government," he said, to chants of "vote, vote" from the opposition.
Khan insists he has been the victim of a "regime change" conspiracy involving the United States.
Conspiracy claim
He said the PML-N and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) — two normally feuding dynastic groups who joined forces to oust him — had conspired with Washington to bring the no-confidence vote because of his opposition to US foreign policy, particularly in Muslim nations such as Iraq and Afghanistan.
He also accused the opposition of buying support in the assembly with "open horse-trading... selling of lawmakers like goats and sheep".
How long the next government lasts is also a matter of speculation.
The opposition said previously they wanted an early election — which must be called by October next year — but taking power gives them the opportunity to set their own agenda and end a string of probes they said Khan launched vindictively against them.
Local media quoted an election commission official as saying it would take them at least seven months to prepare for a national vote.
Publicly, the military appears to be keeping out of the current fray, but there have been four coups since independence in 1947, and the country has spent more than three decades under army rule.
ByAFP
April 9, 2022
Imran Khan was thrown out of office as Pakistan prime minister Sunday after losing a no-confidence vote in the national assembly.
The drama caps weeks of machinations by the opposition aimed at unraveling the tenuous coalition Khan built around his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to become premier in 2018.
Following are brief profiles of the key players in the saga:
– Shehbaz Sharif –
The brother of three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif — who has been disqualified from ever again running for office and is currently in exile in Britain — Shehbaz is the main candidate to replace Khan.
The 70-year-old is a political heavyweight in his own right, however, having served as chief minister of Punjab, the family’s power base, and now as president of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N).
A tough administrator with a reputation for passionate outbursts, he is known for quoting revolutionary poetry in speeches and is considered a workaholic.
He remains popular despite lurid tabloid headlines about multiple marriages and a property portfolio that includes luxury apartments in London and Dubai.
– Asif Ali Zardari –
Hailing from a wealthy Sindh family, Zardari was better known for his playboy lifestyle until an arranged marriage saw him wed Benazir Bhutto shortly before she became prime minister for the first time.
He took to politics with gusto, earning himself the nickname “Mr Ten Percent” for the cut he allegedly took from government contracts, and was twice jailed on charges related to corruption, drug smuggling and murder — although never faced trial.
The 67-year-old became co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) after the assassination of Bhutto in 2007, and became president of the country a year later in a power-sharing deal with the PML-N.
– Bilawal Bhutto Zardari –
The son of Benazir Bhutto and Asif Zardari is political royalty and became chairman of the PPP aged just 19 following his mother’s assassination.
The Oxford-educated 33-year-old is considered a progressive, in his mother’s image, and has frequently spoken out on the rights of women and minorities.
With more than half of Pakistan’s population aged 22 or below, Bhutto’s social media savvy is a hit with the young, although he is frequently mocked for a poor command of Urdu, the national language.
– Maulana Fazlur Rehman –
After starting political life as a firebrand Islamist hardliner, the Muslim cleric has softened his public image over the years with a flexibility that has seen him forge alliances with secular parties on the left and right of the spectrum.
With the ability to mobilise tens of thousands of madrassa students, his Jamiatul Ulema-e-Islam (F) party never musters enough support for power on its own but is usually a key player in any government.
His enmity with Khan runs deep, calling him “a Jew” in reference to his former marriage to Briton Jemima Goldsmith.
Khan, in return, calls him “Mullah Diesel” for his alleged participation in graft involving fuel licenses.
Pakistan's Imran Khan who was dismissed on April 10, 2022 as prime minister after losing a no-confidence vote in parliament following weeks of political turmoil.
By AFP
Islamabad
By AFP
Islamabad
Imran Khan was dismissed Sunday as Pakistan's prime minister after losing a no-confidence vote in parliament following weeks of political turmoil.
A new premier will be chosen Monday, with Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) chief Shehbaz Sharif almost certain to be picked to lead the nuclear-armed nation of 220 million people.
No prime minister has ever served a full term in Pakistan, but Khan is the first to lose office this way.
Opposition supporters took to the streets early Sunday, waving national and party flags from car windows as they raced through the streets.
There had been a massive security presence in the capital, but no incidents were reported.
Acting speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said 174 lawmakers had voted in favour of the motion, "consequently the vote of no confidence has passed".
Lost his majority
Khan, 69, who was not present, lost his majority in the 342-seat assembly through defections by coalition partners and even members of his own party, and the opposition had needed just 172 votes to dismiss him.
He tried everything to stay in power — including dissolving parliament and calling a fresh election — but the Supreme Court deemed all his actions illegal last week, and ordered the assembly to reconvene and vote.
There was drama right until the midnight deadline ordered by the Supreme Court, with the speaker of the assembly -- a Khan loyalist -- resigning at the last minute.
In the end, the session continued through to Sunday with a replacement.
"We will put a balm on the wounds of this nation," Sharif said immediately after the result was announced.
Militancy on the rise
Whoever takes over will still have to deal with the issues that bedevilled Khan: soaring inflation, a feeble rupee and crippling debt.
Militancy is also on the rise, with Pakistan's Taliban emboldened by the return to power last year of the hard-line Islamist group in neighbouring Afghanistan.
Tempers rose in the assembly when Sharif insisted a vote be held immediately — as ordered by the Supreme Court on Thursday — but Khan loyalists demanded discussion first on their leader's claims there had been foreign interference in the process.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi accused the opposition of leading the country down a dangerous path.
"History will expose all those, who set the stage for this move to topple the government," he said, to chants of "vote, vote" from the opposition.
Khan insists he has been the victim of a "regime change" conspiracy involving the United States.
Conspiracy claim
He said the PML-N and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) — two normally feuding dynastic groups who joined forces to oust him — had conspired with Washington to bring the no-confidence vote because of his opposition to US foreign policy, particularly in Muslim nations such as Iraq and Afghanistan.
He also accused the opposition of buying support in the assembly with "open horse-trading... selling of lawmakers like goats and sheep".
How long the next government lasts is also a matter of speculation.
The opposition said previously they wanted an early election — which must be called by October next year — but taking power gives them the opportunity to set their own agenda and end a string of probes they said Khan launched vindictively against them.
Local media quoted an election commission official as saying it would take them at least seven months to prepare for a national vote.
Publicly, the military appears to be keeping out of the current fray, but there have been four coups since independence in 1947, and the country has spent more than three decades under army rule.
Challenges ahead: Key issues facing Pakistan’s next leader
By AFP
April 9, 2022
Whoever becomes Pakistan’s next prime minister following the dismissal of Imran Khan Sunday will inherit the same issues that bedevilled the former international cricket star.
A poorly performing economy, rising militancy and shaky relations with former allies will be top of the agenda for the next administration.
The incoming government will need to stave off “multiple challenges on domestic and foreign relations levels”, said Professor Jaffar Ahmed, director of the Institute of Historical and Social Research.
Following are the key issues ahead for the incoming premier of the country of 220 million people:
– The economy –
Crippling debt, galloping inflation and a feeble currency have combined to keep growth stagnant for the past three years with little prospect of genuine improvement.
“We don’t have any direction,” said Nadeem ul Haque, vice-chancellor of the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), a research organisation in Islamabad.
“Radical policy reforms are needed to turn around the economy.”
Inflation is ticking along at over 12 percent, foreign debt is at $130 billion — or 43 percent of GDP — and the rupee has dipped to 190 to the dollar, a decline of nearly a third since Khan took power.
A $6 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package signed by Khan in 2019 has never been fully implemented because the government reneged on agreements to cut or end subsidies on certain goods and improve revenue and tax collection.
“The IMF package must go on,” said Ehsan Malik, head of the Pakistan Business Council.
On the bright side, remittances from Pakistan’s vast diaspora have never been higher, although the cash flows have put Pakistan on the radar of the Financial Action Task Force, the global money-laundering and terrorist-funding watchdog.
“This is a hanging sword which could fall on the country any time,” Jaffar said.
– Rise of militancy –
Pakistan’s Taliban, a separate movement that shares common roots with the militants who took power in Afghanistan last year, have stepped up attacks in recent months.
They have threatened an offensive against government forces during Ramadan — which started Sunday — and in the past have been blamed for a string of murderous attacks.
Khan attempted to bring militants back into the mainstream, but talks with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants got nowhere last year before a month-long truce collapsed.
Afghanistan’s Taliban say they will not allow the country to be used as a base for foreign militants, but it remains to be seen if they will genuinely put a stop to the activities of thousands of Pakistani Islamists based there — or where they will go if they are kicked out.
There are no easy solutions even for the incoming government, experts say.
“The insurgency challenge would remain as big and crucial for the new government,” said political analyst Rafiullah Kakar.
In mineral-rich Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province, separatists have been demanding more autonomy and a greater share of the wealth for years, and the region is riven by sectarian strife and Islamist violence.
Kakar suggested a two-pronged approach — “confidence-building measures and political reconciliation” in Balochistan, but taking off the kid gloves for the Taliban “once and all”.
– Foreign relations –
Khan claims the United States orchestrated his removal by conspiring with the opposition, and the next government will have to work hard to patch up relations with Washington — a key arms supplier countering Russia’s trade with India.
Khan angered the West by continuing with a visit to Moscow on the day Russia invaded Ukraine, and was also one of the few world leaders to attend the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics when others boycotted in protest at China’s human rights record.
Still, army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa allayed some fears last weekend by saying good relations with the United States remain high on Pakistan’s agenda — and the military holds huge sway regardless of which civilian administration is in power.
“The incoming government… needs to put in hard effort to undo the damage,” said Tauseef Ahmed Khan, a political analyst and journalism teacher.
By AFP
April 9, 2022
Whoever becomes Pakistan’s next prime minister following the dismissal of Imran Khan Sunday will inherit the same issues that bedevilled the former international cricket star.
A poorly performing economy, rising militancy and shaky relations with former allies will be top of the agenda for the next administration.
The incoming government will need to stave off “multiple challenges on domestic and foreign relations levels”, said Professor Jaffar Ahmed, director of the Institute of Historical and Social Research.
Following are the key issues ahead for the incoming premier of the country of 220 million people:
– The economy –
Crippling debt, galloping inflation and a feeble currency have combined to keep growth stagnant for the past three years with little prospect of genuine improvement.
“We don’t have any direction,” said Nadeem ul Haque, vice-chancellor of the Pakistan Institute of Development Economics (PIDE), a research organisation in Islamabad.
“Radical policy reforms are needed to turn around the economy.”
Inflation is ticking along at over 12 percent, foreign debt is at $130 billion — or 43 percent of GDP — and the rupee has dipped to 190 to the dollar, a decline of nearly a third since Khan took power.
A $6 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout package signed by Khan in 2019 has never been fully implemented because the government reneged on agreements to cut or end subsidies on certain goods and improve revenue and tax collection.
“The IMF package must go on,” said Ehsan Malik, head of the Pakistan Business Council.
On the bright side, remittances from Pakistan’s vast diaspora have never been higher, although the cash flows have put Pakistan on the radar of the Financial Action Task Force, the global money-laundering and terrorist-funding watchdog.
“This is a hanging sword which could fall on the country any time,” Jaffar said.
– Rise of militancy –
Pakistan’s Taliban, a separate movement that shares common roots with the militants who took power in Afghanistan last year, have stepped up attacks in recent months.
They have threatened an offensive against government forces during Ramadan — which started Sunday — and in the past have been blamed for a string of murderous attacks.
Khan attempted to bring militants back into the mainstream, but talks with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants got nowhere last year before a month-long truce collapsed.
Afghanistan’s Taliban say they will not allow the country to be used as a base for foreign militants, but it remains to be seen if they will genuinely put a stop to the activities of thousands of Pakistani Islamists based there — or where they will go if they are kicked out.
There are no easy solutions even for the incoming government, experts say.
“The insurgency challenge would remain as big and crucial for the new government,” said political analyst Rafiullah Kakar.
In mineral-rich Balochistan, Pakistan’s largest province, separatists have been demanding more autonomy and a greater share of the wealth for years, and the region is riven by sectarian strife and Islamist violence.
Kakar suggested a two-pronged approach — “confidence-building measures and political reconciliation” in Balochistan, but taking off the kid gloves for the Taliban “once and all”.
– Foreign relations –
Khan claims the United States orchestrated his removal by conspiring with the opposition, and the next government will have to work hard to patch up relations with Washington — a key arms supplier countering Russia’s trade with India.
Khan angered the West by continuing with a visit to Moscow on the day Russia invaded Ukraine, and was also one of the few world leaders to attend the opening of the Beijing Winter Olympics when others boycotted in protest at China’s human rights record.
Still, army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa allayed some fears last weekend by saying good relations with the United States remain high on Pakistan’s agenda — and the military holds huge sway regardless of which civilian administration is in power.
“The incoming government… needs to put in hard effort to undo the damage,” said Tauseef Ahmed Khan, a political analyst and journalism teacher.
Plotting from the wings: Key players behind
Pakistan PM’s ouster
ByAFP
April 9, 2022
Imran Khan was thrown out of office as Pakistan prime minister Sunday after losing a no-confidence vote in the national assembly.
The drama caps weeks of machinations by the opposition aimed at unraveling the tenuous coalition Khan built around his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to become premier in 2018.
Following are brief profiles of the key players in the saga:
– Shehbaz Sharif –
The brother of three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif — who has been disqualified from ever again running for office and is currently in exile in Britain — Shehbaz is the main candidate to replace Khan.
The 70-year-old is a political heavyweight in his own right, however, having served as chief minister of Punjab, the family’s power base, and now as president of the Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N).
A tough administrator with a reputation for passionate outbursts, he is known for quoting revolutionary poetry in speeches and is considered a workaholic.
He remains popular despite lurid tabloid headlines about multiple marriages and a property portfolio that includes luxury apartments in London and Dubai.
– Asif Ali Zardari –
Hailing from a wealthy Sindh family, Zardari was better known for his playboy lifestyle until an arranged marriage saw him wed Benazir Bhutto shortly before she became prime minister for the first time.
He took to politics with gusto, earning himself the nickname “Mr Ten Percent” for the cut he allegedly took from government contracts, and was twice jailed on charges related to corruption, drug smuggling and murder — although never faced trial.
The 67-year-old became co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) after the assassination of Bhutto in 2007, and became president of the country a year later in a power-sharing deal with the PML-N.
– Bilawal Bhutto Zardari –
The son of Benazir Bhutto and Asif Zardari is political royalty and became chairman of the PPP aged just 19 following his mother’s assassination.
The Oxford-educated 33-year-old is considered a progressive, in his mother’s image, and has frequently spoken out on the rights of women and minorities.
With more than half of Pakistan’s population aged 22 or below, Bhutto’s social media savvy is a hit with the young, although he is frequently mocked for a poor command of Urdu, the national language.
– Maulana Fazlur Rehman –
After starting political life as a firebrand Islamist hardliner, the Muslim cleric has softened his public image over the years with a flexibility that has seen him forge alliances with secular parties on the left and right of the spectrum.
With the ability to mobilise tens of thousands of madrassa students, his Jamiatul Ulema-e-Islam (F) party never musters enough support for power on its own but is usually a key player in any government.
His enmity with Khan runs deep, calling him “a Jew” in reference to his former marriage to Briton Jemima Goldsmith.
Khan, in return, calls him “Mullah Diesel” for his alleged participation in graft involving fuel licenses.
Opinion: Political chaos doesn't augur well for Pakistan's democracy
Prime Minister Imran Khan may take his fight to the streets after a setback in Pakistan's top court, heightening political tensions and instability in the nuclear-armed Islamic nation, DW's Adnan Ishaq writes.
Pakistan could witness the failure of another government to finish its full five-year term
Pakistan's Supreme Court dealt a severe blow to Prime Minister Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on Thursday by ruling that his maneuver to dissolve parliament — to avoid a vote of no-confidence in his leadership — and call early elections was illegal.
It's not clear what Khan's next steps would be, but the opposition was ecstatic after the verdict.
As per the court order, lawmakers are to convene at the National Assembly in Islamabad on Saturday for a no-confidence motion.
It's highly likely that the prime minister will lose the vote. Opposition parties say they have enough support in the 342-seat house to oust Khan.
If Khan is removed from power, Pakistan would witness the failure of yet another government to complete its full five-year term.
It is democracy that has suffered the most in the ongoing political chaos in the country.
Khan's rift with the military
After coming to power in 2018, Khan launched an array of projects to alleviate the suffering of Pakistan's impoverished and marginalized communities. His multibillion-rupee initiative to issue health insurance cards immensely helped the poor, along with projects that provided shelter to the homeless, scholarships to impoverished students and quarterly financial aid to extremely poor sections of society, among other things.
DW's Adnan Ishaq
Khan's initiative to plant a billion trees in the country also earned laurels from international organizations. The government also managed the COVID pandemic relatively well.
Nevertheless, skyrocketing inflation, rising unemployment and alleged gross incompetence stoked public discontent with the government.
During his initial days in office, it was evident that Khan had the backing of the military, Pakistan's most powerful institution. When some opposition parties began criticizing the army, Khan was quick to defend the generals and maintained a healthy relationship with the men in uniform.
But relations between the prime minister and the military seem to have soured since then. There was a weekslong standoff between Khan and the army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, over the appointment of a new head of the Inter-Services Intelligence(ISI) spy agency last year.
And Khan's positioning of himself as an "anti-West" leader and his increasingly strident criticism of the US and the EU did not go down well with the army, which views the West as key to Pakistan's economic and security interests.
The US and the EU are among Pakistan's largest economic partners, with huge influence over global financial institutions, whose assistance Islamabad desperately needs to get out of the economic mess it finds itself in.
Furthermore, Pakistan has always tried to maintain a balance in its strategic relations, with the West on one side and China and Russia on the other. Khan disrupted this balance by veering heavily toward Beijing and Moscow, triggering concerns among the Pakistani military establishment over how his actions would affect Islamabad's ties to Washington.
Khan has little to show in terms of performance
Khan claimed that his defiance of "US dictation" and following an "independent" foreign policy infuriated Washington and its EU allies and that's why the US wants him gone.
With his rhetoric, Khan has been successful in promoting an anti-American and anti-West narrative while declaring his political opponents as stooges of foreign powers. This seems to have increased his popularity among conservative and right-wing voters, including those in Punjab, the country's most populous province, which decides the fate of politicians during elections.
The anti-US narrative is a tried-and-tested formula in Pakistan. Most political parties and religious factions keep the tactic up their sleeve in case things get out of hand. In 2017, when the Supreme Court ordered the removal of then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from office because of corruption accusations, Sharif said it was part of "an international conspiracy."
Khan is now using the same tactic as he needs to prepare for the elections and has very little to show in terms of performance.
Expect more protests and political unrest
There has been a sigh of relief after the top court's verdict to restore Parliament, with many believing that it would restore a modicum of political stability. But things don't appear optimistic for Pakistan.
Khan and his PTI party will most likely take to the streets and resort to protests and agitation, heightening political tensions and instability in the nuclear-armed Islamic nation.
The prime minister once said democracy functioned on moral authority. We keep hearing this statement from opposition political parties as well. But when it comes to their interests, all the nation's political actors trample on moral and democratic values.
Whatever has happened in the past few days will not benefit Pakistan's democracy and democratic values.
Some politicians may get temporary benefits from this fiasco, but the forces that have not allowed any Pakistani prime minister to complete a full term in office will once again be the ultimate long-term beneficiaries.
Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru
Prime Minister Imran Khan may take his fight to the streets after a setback in Pakistan's top court, heightening political tensions and instability in the nuclear-armed Islamic nation, DW's Adnan Ishaq writes.
Pakistan could witness the failure of another government to finish its full five-year term
Pakistan's Supreme Court dealt a severe blow to Prime Minister Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on Thursday by ruling that his maneuver to dissolve parliament — to avoid a vote of no-confidence in his leadership — and call early elections was illegal.
It's not clear what Khan's next steps would be, but the opposition was ecstatic after the verdict.
As per the court order, lawmakers are to convene at the National Assembly in Islamabad on Saturday for a no-confidence motion.
It's highly likely that the prime minister will lose the vote. Opposition parties say they have enough support in the 342-seat house to oust Khan.
If Khan is removed from power, Pakistan would witness the failure of yet another government to complete its full five-year term.
It is democracy that has suffered the most in the ongoing political chaos in the country.
Khan's rift with the military
After coming to power in 2018, Khan launched an array of projects to alleviate the suffering of Pakistan's impoverished and marginalized communities. His multibillion-rupee initiative to issue health insurance cards immensely helped the poor, along with projects that provided shelter to the homeless, scholarships to impoverished students and quarterly financial aid to extremely poor sections of society, among other things.
DW's Adnan Ishaq
Khan's initiative to plant a billion trees in the country also earned laurels from international organizations. The government also managed the COVID pandemic relatively well.
Nevertheless, skyrocketing inflation, rising unemployment and alleged gross incompetence stoked public discontent with the government.
During his initial days in office, it was evident that Khan had the backing of the military, Pakistan's most powerful institution. When some opposition parties began criticizing the army, Khan was quick to defend the generals and maintained a healthy relationship with the men in uniform.
But relations between the prime minister and the military seem to have soured since then. There was a weekslong standoff between Khan and the army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, over the appointment of a new head of the Inter-Services Intelligence(ISI) spy agency last year.
And Khan's positioning of himself as an "anti-West" leader and his increasingly strident criticism of the US and the EU did not go down well with the army, which views the West as key to Pakistan's economic and security interests.
The US and the EU are among Pakistan's largest economic partners, with huge influence over global financial institutions, whose assistance Islamabad desperately needs to get out of the economic mess it finds itself in.
Furthermore, Pakistan has always tried to maintain a balance in its strategic relations, with the West on one side and China and Russia on the other. Khan disrupted this balance by veering heavily toward Beijing and Moscow, triggering concerns among the Pakistani military establishment over how his actions would affect Islamabad's ties to Washington.
Khan has little to show in terms of performance
Khan claimed that his defiance of "US dictation" and following an "independent" foreign policy infuriated Washington and its EU allies and that's why the US wants him gone.
With his rhetoric, Khan has been successful in promoting an anti-American and anti-West narrative while declaring his political opponents as stooges of foreign powers. This seems to have increased his popularity among conservative and right-wing voters, including those in Punjab, the country's most populous province, which decides the fate of politicians during elections.
The anti-US narrative is a tried-and-tested formula in Pakistan. Most political parties and religious factions keep the tactic up their sleeve in case things get out of hand. In 2017, when the Supreme Court ordered the removal of then Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif from office because of corruption accusations, Sharif said it was part of "an international conspiracy."
Khan is now using the same tactic as he needs to prepare for the elections and has very little to show in terms of performance.
Expect more protests and political unrest
There has been a sigh of relief after the top court's verdict to restore Parliament, with many believing that it would restore a modicum of political stability. But things don't appear optimistic for Pakistan.
Khan and his PTI party will most likely take to the streets and resort to protests and agitation, heightening political tensions and instability in the nuclear-armed Islamic nation.
The prime minister once said democracy functioned on moral authority. We keep hearing this statement from opposition political parties as well. But when it comes to their interests, all the nation's political actors trample on moral and democratic values.
Whatever has happened in the past few days will not benefit Pakistan's democracy and democratic values.
Some politicians may get temporary benefits from this fiasco, but the forces that have not allowed any Pakistani prime minister to complete a full term in office will once again be the ultimate long-term beneficiaries.
Edited by: Srinivas Mazumdaru
No comments:
Post a Comment