Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was voted down by parliament on Saturday (Dutch time). After weeks of political chaos, during which Khan did everything he could to remain in office, the lower house passed a no-confidence motion against the prime minister. This is reported by international news agencies. Khan will now have to make way for a successor elected by parliament.
The vote of no confidence, tabled by the opposition at the beginning of March, was prompted by the dire economic situation in Pakistan. The purchasing power of the average Pakistani has declined so much in recent years, partly due to the corona crisis, that essential foodstuffs have now become too expensive for many people. Khan, 69, dissolved parliament last week to prevent the motion from being voted on. However, the Supreme Court ruled Khan’s actions unconstitutional and reversed the dissolution.
Also read this profile of Imran Khan from 2018: Cricket hero and former debauchery wins Pakistan elections
Also this Saturday, during the debate on the motion, Khan’s supporters tried to postpone the vote as long as possible. Members of Khan’s party, who, like Khan, say it was a US-led conspiracy, gave lengthy speeches. The meeting in parliament was suspended three times. Finally, the commander of the very powerful army in Pakistan intervened, sources reported to Reuters news agency. This General Qamar Javed Bajwa spoke to Khan. Then the Speaker of the House of Commons, an associate of Khan, withdrew. The vote then took place. 174 of the 342 MPs supported the motion.
Khan, a former cricketer, won the 2018 election with a populist program. He has not yet publicly commented on his removal as prime minister. As a successor, many experts mention the name of opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif (70). If he does become prime minister, Sharif will be put in charge of a country with 220 million inhabitants and an arsenal of some 165 nuclear bombs.