Imran Khan Ousted as Pakistan’s Prime Minister
A poster of Imran Khan in front of the National Assembly in Islamabad. Photo: Saiyna Bashir/The New York Times
Imran Khan was ousted as Pakistan’s Prime Minister after losing a vote of no-confidence in Parliament on Sunday. The no-confidence motion against Khan was initiated by an alliance of politicians from opposing political parties in conjunction with defectors from Khan’s own political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Khan had previously attempted to block the motion of no-confidence against him by calling for early general elections last week. However, Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of the opposition parties, claiming that Khan’s attempt to dissolve Parliament and block the vote of no-confidence was unconstitutional.
With Khan now removed from office, opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif of Pakistan Muslim League-Noon (PML-N), a long time political rival of Khan and the brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, is expected to be elected as the new Prime Minister. Sharif was first elected to the National Assembly in 1990, and is regarded as an experienced and effective public administrator– having served as Chief Minister (CM) of Punjab, Pakistan’s largest province, for three terms. During Sharif’s time as CM of Punjab, he was criticized for neglecting the fundamental issues plaguing the province such as healthcare and agricultural reforms.
"Congratulations to the Pakistani nation on a new dawn,” tweeted Sharif on Sunday.
Khan was elected prime minister in 2018; he had grown increasingly popular as a political candidate due to his anti-corruption and pro-free market politics. For the majority of his time in power, he also enjoyed the support of the Pakistani Military. However, over the course of his rule, the country reached unprecedented heights of inflation and Khan was accused by critics of economic and political mismanagement. The deterioration of the economy, in tandem with the Pakistani Military recently revoking its support, allowed for a successful motion of no-confidence to take place against him.
Imran Khan has repeatedly maintained that the United States is behind his removal from office claiming that foreign conspiracy is at play to oust him from power, and has called upon citizens to protest his removal. “Your future is at stake,” said Khan in a televised speech on Friday. “If you do not take a stand to protect the sovereignty of our country, we will continue to remain subservient.”
Khan persisted that he was targeted by the US because unlike his political opponents and predecessors, he believed in upholding an independent foreign policy and wanted to transform Pakistan into a self-sufficient nation which cannot "easily be used as a puppet by the West." He claimed that the US wanted him out of office because he refused to comply with Washington on diplomatic issues pertaining to Russia and China. In the years following the Cold War – during which Pakistan favored the US– Russia and Pakistan have restored ties and managed to form a diplomatic relationship. China has also been investing heavily in Pakistan over the past decade, and thus, Pakistan’s closeness to both China and Russia has caused the country’s relationship with the United States to become strained.
The US State Department has issued an official statement rejecting Khan’s claims, stating there is "no truth" to the allegations of US involvement in Khan’s removal from power. "We are closely following developments in Pakistan, and we respect, we support Pakistan's constitutional process and the rule of law, but when it comes to those allegations, there is no truth to them.”
PTI supporters gathered in the streets of Karachi protesting Imran Khan’s removal from office on April 10, 2022. Photo: PTI MEDIA WING
Shahbaz Sharif, who is expected to take over as Prime Minister, will be faced with many challenges ranging from heightened rates of inflation to a polarized political climate that could potentially manifest itself into violence on the streets.
According to Ijaz Khan, the former Chairman of the Department of International Relations at the University of Peshawar, the current political crisis has done significant damage to Pakistan in terms of political polarization, foreign policy, and the economy. “Leading the country out of that will be a serious challenge for any future government,” said Khan.
While no Prime Minister of the country has ever completed their five-year term in office, Imran Khan is officially the first in Pakistan’s history to be voted out of power through a no-confidence motion.