Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan scheduled a Cabinet meeting for Saturday night as the parliamentary debate over his removal from office lingered on for days.
Even though it was widely believed that Khan would lose the vote, the sudden adjournment of parliament and the ensuing political turmoil brought on this meeting.
In the latest twist in a crisis that has jeopardized political and economic stability in this South Asian nation of 220 million people, cabinet members are expected to convene on Saturday at 1600 GMT.
A government official told Reuters: “We don’t know the agenda of the meeting.” This is only a meeting mandated by our superiors:
On Friday, members of Khan’s party said they would try to postpone the vote as long as possible. Saturday’s session was scheduled after the Supreme Court declared that his allies had violated the country’s constitution by blocking a vote on the same issue on Sunday, setting the stage for this vote.
The former cricketer-turned-politician has pledged to “fight” against any attempt to oust him.
If Khan is ousted, Shehbaz Sharif, who is likely to be the next PM, asked lower house Speaker Asad Qaiser to make sure the vote was done as a top priority.
The speaker stated that he will adhere to the court’s decision “to the letter and the extent possible.”
After taking power in 2018 with military backing, Khan recently lost his legislative majority after friends left his coalition government. He has been accused of failing to restore Pakistan’s ravaged economy or fulfill his pledges to make Pakistan a corruption-free, rich nation recognized on the international stage by the opposition political parties.
No ‘imported government’
According to the opposition and some observers, Khan and the military had a falling out, although Khan and the military both deny this. The military has dominated the country for half of its post-colonial history, and no prime minister has served a full five-year tenure.
If Khan’s allies wanted to prolong the vote, it was not obvious how long they would try. After arguing in court for the vote to go forward, Salahuddin Ahmed said he thought it had to happen by midnight.
In a statement made late on Friday, Khan said he was “disappointed” but respected the court’s decision. As for the next government, though, he stated that he would not recognize any that succeeded him.
A late-night statement in which he suggested that his ouster was the result of a foreign plot and called for peaceful protests on Sunday reads: “I will not tolerate an imported administration.” I’m up for the challenge. “
When he was elected prime minister of Afghanistan in 2014, Khan opposed the U.S.-led military operation in the country. Allegations: He says the United States is part of a conspiracy to get him out of office. Washington says this isn’t true.
As the unrest persisted, the Pakistani rupee fell to record lows on Thursday, causing a massive decline in the country’s foreign exchange reserves. Central bank: Interest rates went up by 2.5 percentage points. This was their biggest rise since 1996.
if Khan doesn’t win the no-confidence vote, the opposition will put forward a candidate for prime minister.
As soon as Khan is ousted, the opposition wants Sharif to be the next PM, says the younger brother of Nawaz Sharif.