Imran Khan, the head of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf, demanded that the judiciary explain why it opened its doors at midnight on Saturday, hours before he was ousted as prime minister following a successful no-confidence resolution in the National Assembly.
After the Supreme Court overturned the Deputy Speaker’s decision to reject the opposition-sponsored no-confidence resolution against the ruling PTI-led coalition, the no-trust vote took place.
Mr. Khan addressed the judges directly in his first public statement since losing power on Wednesday at a rally in Peshawar, asking: “I have a question for the judiciary: when you opened the court in the middle of the night, this nation has known me for 45 years. Have I ever disobeyed the law? Did anyone ever accuse me of match-fixing when I was playing cricket?”
“Every time a prime minister was ousted, people would applaud it,” Imran said of the rallies that began on Sunday. “But when he was ousted from office, the public voiced a protest.”
He asserted again that a “foreign conspiracy” was developed in Washington with the support of opposition parties to disrupt Pakistan’s PTI administration.
According to the former prime minister, those who devised the plot were thrilled that he was removed from power. “I wasn’t dangerous when in government, but I will be more dangerous now.”
“We will not tolerate an imported administration, and people have demonstrated their displeasure with the move,” he stated.
He addressed a massive gathering that the citizens would not accept Shehbaz Sharif as Prime Minister because he had 40,000 crores worth of corruption charges against him.
“I have never in my 25 years of politics incited public outrage against state institutions or the courts since my life and death are in Pakistan. I ask you, what crime did I do that compelled you to open the courts at midnight? “He inquired.
“Shehbaz Sharif is facing 40,000 crores in corruption charges. Do you reckon he’ll be able to become our Prime Minister? And anyone who believes that should know that this was not the Pakistan of the 1970s when Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was overthrown with the support of foreign forces. Pakistan is a ‘Naya’ country.” Further, he stated.
Imran Khan had attempted to relate the opposition’s campaign to remove him via a no-trust vote to “foreign conspiracies” and had mentioned the US in several of his speeches. His claims were denied by the US, on the other hand.
The former PM has also urged people to come to the streets, while the combined opposition has remained committed to defeating him.
Imran Khan is Pakistan’s first Prime Minister to confront a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly.
Despite several attempts to prevent the no-confidence resolution, the vote took place after midnight, with 174 members of the 342-member House voting in favor of the motion, even as members of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf were missing.
Published By: Aman Gupta
Edited By: Vanshika Sahu
