LAST UPDATE: 10:27
Pakistan’s parliament adjourned today and adjourned its session to later, delaying a vote of no confidence in Prime Minister Imran Khan, days after his allies blocked a similar measure.
The deputies will meet again at 12:30 pm (10:30 Greek time), said Parliament Speaker Assad Caesar.
In the run-up to today’s vote, which he is widely expected to lose, the former cricketer has vowed to “fight” against any move to replace him, in the latest turn of the crisis that threatens political and economic stability in this Asian country of 220 million people.
On Sunday, Khan’s political allies dissolved parliament in order to prevent the opposition from filing a motion of censure against their government. The former cricketer was expected to lose the vote, after his partners had left the ruling coalition, depriving him of a majority in parliament.
The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that Hahn’s maneuvering was unconstitutional and asked parliament to convene today, Saturday, to put the motion of censure to a vote.
The meeting of the members of the lower house is expected to start today around 10:30 local time (08:30 Greek time). The motion of censure tabled by opposition leader Sehbaz Sharif, the leading politician to replace Khan, is the fourth item on the agenda.
Opposition parties have blamed the 69-year-old prime minister, who came to power in 2018 with the support of the military, for failing to boost the economy of the country affected by the COVID-19 pandemic or fulfilling his commitments to rid Pakistan. from corruption and to make it a nation that thrives and enjoys respect on the international stage.
The opposition and some analysts say Khan has broken with the military, which he and the military deny. The military has ruled Pakistan for half of the 75 years since independence, and no prime minister has completed his five-year term.
The prime minister, who enjoyed widespread popular support when he took office, said late Friday that he was disappointed with the Supreme Court ruling but accepted it. Khan had called elections after the dissolution of parliament.
He noted yesterday that he would not recognize any opposition government that might replace him.
“I will not accept an incoming government,” he said in a speech to the nation late last night, implying that the move to oust him was part of a foreign conspiracy and calling for peaceful protests on Sunday. “I’m ready for a fight,” he said.
Khan was opposed to the US-led intervention in Afghanistan and has developed relations with Russia since taking office. He accused the United States of supporting a conspiracy to oust him from power, without providing evidence of his claim, which was denied by Washington.
As the crisis continues, the Pakistani rupee fell to an all-time low on Thursday and foreign exchange reserves fell. The central bank raised its key interest rate by 2.5 percentage points, the largest increase since 1996.
If Khan loses the vote on the motion of censure against him, the opposition will nominate a candidate for prime minister.
Sharif, the younger brother of three-time former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, said after the Supreme Court ruling that if parliament votes in favor of the motion of censure against Khan, the opposition has appointed him to office.
Source: Capital
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