Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan could be removed from office as early as this weekend, after the Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled that his move to block a no-confidence vote was unconstitutional.
PM Khan’s party on Sunday had refused to hold a no-confidence vote which would see him ousted, having lost support from political allies, reported BBC.
His government then dissolved the parliament and called a snap election. Outraged by it, the opposition launched an immediate appeal with the Supreme Court.
Khan responded to the SC ruling stating that he had called for a cabinet meeting and would address the nation on Friday evening.
He wrote on Twitter, “My message to the nation is that I have always fought for Pakistan and will continue to fight till the last ball.”
Khan claimed without any evidence that there was a conspiracy to oust him with his political opposition colluding with the United States as he had close relations with Russia and China. Washington has vehemently refuted his claim.
Notably, the deputy speaker of the parliament, a supporter of PM Khan, justified the decision to block the vote on the basis of ‘foreign interference’.
The country’s Supreme Court on Thursday however found that Khan’s move to block the no-confidence vote on Sunday was “contrary to the constitution and the law and had no legal effect.”
Khan’s decision to dissolve the parliament was invalid, the court ruled, while Pakistan’s electoral commission earlier stating that holding a snap general election within 90 days was not possible.
The SC ordered the parliament to reconvene on Saturday to proceed with the vote, which is expected to go against Imran Khan. If that happens, the opposition parties will have to appoint a new prime minister until August 2023, by when new elections will be held.
Former cricketer, Imran Khan turned politician, sweeping to office in 2018 on promises to tackle corruption and cronyism. He still holds popularity but lost some favours with a rise in living costs and scandals surfacing.
Khan lost his parliamentary majority last week with analysts stating that he also lost support from the military, a crucial backing in the country.
Notably, Pakistan has never had a prime minister serving a full term with various political scandals and power plays by the military in the past decades ousting leaders.
