Islamabad: Pakistan’s ousted prime minister Imran Khan will preside over a meeting of his party’s core committee Sunday to announce his party’s next move after his unceremonious removal from office.
Khan, 69, was removed from office through a no-confidence vote held early Sunday morning, becoming the first premier in the country’s history to be sent home after losing the trust of the lower house of Parliament.
Taking to Twitter, Senator Faisal Javed Khan said, “Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan will chair the core committee meeting of the party today insha’Allah.”
“Imran Khan will announce the future course of action.”
Pakistan’s joint Opposition – a rainbow of socialist, liberal and radically religious parties – secured the support of 174 members in the 342-member National Assembly, more than the needed strength of 172 to oust the prime minister on a day full of drama and multiple adjournments of the House.
Khan is the first Pakistani prime minister whose fate was decided through a trust vote. Earlier, two separate no-trust motions failed respectively against former premiers Benazir Bhutto in 1989 and Shaukat Aziz in 2006.
Top leaders of Imran Khan’s party have vowed to fight along with him.
Former finance and health minister Taimur Khan Jhagra said that losing the battle is insignificant.
“Winning the war for Pakistan that we desire is what matters. That fight will go on as long as it takes. Insha’Allah,” he said.
Former energy minister Hammad Azhar said that on the call of “brave” leader Khan, a peaceful protest will be held across Pakistan after the Isha prayer (one of the five mandatory Islamic prayers).
Khan has been claiming that the Opposition’s no-confidence motion against him was the result of a “foreign conspiracy” because of his independent foreign policy and funds were being channelled from abroad to oust him from power.
In an address to the nation on Friday, he reiterated his allegations that a senior US diplomat threatened regime change in Pakistan. Khan has alleged that Donald Lu, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs in the Department of State was involved in the ‘foreign conspiracy’ to topple his government.
Khan lost the majority last month after some of the coalition partners decided to part ways while several dissidents openly defied his authority. A special session was convened in the light of the verdict by the Supreme Court which on April 7 declared as unconstitutional a ruling by the deputy speaker to reject the no-trust move against Khan. The apex court also revoked the dissolution of the House.
PTI
