Having lost majority even before the National Assembly convenes for a trust vote on Sunday, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan is ready with a plan B that could see his ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf risk fresh elections.
Sources told News18 that in case the trust vote doesn’t go his way, the likely scenario considering beeline his allies made for the opposition in recent weeks, Imran Khan may ask all National Assembly lawmakers from his party to resign, thus reducing the strength of the lower house.
As per Pakistan’s constitution, in case of such high vacancy, the country must head to full elections or by-elections. The latter is ruled out considering bypolls would have to be held for 140 seats with 18 months left in the tenure. In such a scenario, Khan is hoping that the dire economic situation would be reason enough against fresh elections, say sources.
The opposition needs a simple majority of 172 votes in Pakistan’s 342-seat parliament to unseat Imran Khan, a cricket star-turned-conservative Islamic politician. Khan’s small but key coalition partners along with 17 of his own party members have joined the opposition to oust him.
The vote is expected to be held Sunday after Parliament is scheduled to convene at 11:30 a.m. (12 noon IST), but Pakistan’s parliamentary rules allow for three to seven days of debate. The opposition says it has the numbers for an immediate vote, but Khan’s party could force a delay.
On Sunday, giant metal containers blocked roads and entrances to the capital’s diplomatic enclave and to parliament and other sensitive government installations in the capital. A defiant Khan called for supporters to stage demonstrations countrywide to protest the vote.
Khan has accused the opposition of being in cahoots with the United States to unseat him, saying America wants him gone over his foreign policy choices that often favor China and Russia. Khan has also been a strident opponent of America’s war on terror and Pakistan’s partnership in that war with Washington.
Khan has circulated a memo which he insists provides proof that Washington conspired with Pakistan’s opposition to unseat him because America wants “me, personally, gone … and everything would be forgiven.”
A loss for Khan would give his opponents the opportunity to form a new government and rule until elections, which are scheduled to be held next year. The opposition could also choose to call early elections.
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