Pakistani PM ousted. He is accusing US of conspiracy

By KATHY GANNON and MUNIR AHMED

Pakistan’s political opposition toppled Prime Minister Imran Khan in a no-confidence vote in Parliament early Sunday after several political allies and a key party in his ruling coalition deserted him.

The opposition, which spans the political spectrum from leftists to religious radicals, will form a new government. The head of one of the largest parties, a brother of disgraced former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, is likely to take over as prime minister if confirmed in a vote Monday.

Anticipating his loss, Khan, who charged the opposition colluded with the United States to unseat him, has called on his supporters to stage rallies nationwide on Sunday. Khan’s options are limited, though. Should he see a big turnout in his support, he may try to keep the momentum of street protests as a way to pressure Parliament to hold early elections.

Khan earlier had tried to sidestep the vote by dissolving Parliament and calling early elections but a Supreme Court ruling ordered the vote to go ahead.

The vote comes amid cooling relations between Khan and Pakistan’s powerful military, which many of his political opponents allege helped him come to power in general elections in 2018. The military has directly ruled Pakistan for more than half of its 75 years and wields considerable power over civilian governments.

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Pakistan’s Khan says he accepts court ruling, blames US

Apr 8, 2022

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said he accepted a Pakistani Supreme Court ruling that found his recent attempt to avoid a no-confidence vote in parliament unconstitutional.

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However, in the face of a vote that will likely oust him, Khan said he would not accept any government that may replace him and claimed he was the victim of a US plot aimed at “regime change” in Islamabad.

“I was disappointed with the Supreme Court decision but I want to make it clear that I respect the Supreme Court and Pakistan’s judiciary,” said Khan in a late-night address to the nation, while complaining that the court should have examined his reason for rejecting initial calls for the no-confidence vote.

“There is a conspiracy from abroad. This is a very serious allegation … that a foreign country conspired to topple an entire government.”

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