Islamabad: Pakistan's embattled Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday effectively lost majority in Parliament after a key partner of the ruling coalition joined the ranks of the Opposition, which has tabled a no-confidence motion against his government in the National Assembly.
No Prime Minister in Pakistan's history has lasted a full term, and Khan may not be an exception to the rule. Skating on thin ice, he is trying to fend off the biggest challenge to his rule since he was elected in 2018, with detractors accusing him of economic mismanagement and foreign policy bungling.
The debate on the no-confidence motion is slated for Thursday and the vote could be as early as this weekend.
With Khan scampering for cover with his Tehreek-e-Insaf members – lest he loses some of them, too -- Pakistan Minister Fawad Chaudhry kept up the pretence. "Imran Khan is a player who fights till the last ball. There will not be a resignation. There will be a match, both friends and foes will watch it," tweeted Chaudhry. But most of this is bravado, pointed out political observers.
The MQM-P, a key ally of Khan’s Tehreek-e-Insaf-led coalition, announced that it has parted ways with the government during a joint press conference of the opposition parties.
PM Khan needs 172 votes in the lower house of 342 to foil the Opposition's bid to topple him. The Opposition claims to have the support of 175 lawmakers and is insisting that the prime minister should resign.
It was also announced that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president and Leader of the Opposition Shehbaz Sharif would be the next prime minister after the removal of 69-year-old Khan.
"We want to make a new beginning for politics of tolerance and marked by true democracy," the MQM-P chief told reporters.
Sharif said that it was an important day as all opposition parties have joined together to address the problems faced by Pakistan.
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, chairman of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), also said that Khan has no option but to resign. Bilawal further said that Sharif will soon be elected as the next prime minister.
Another ally of the ruling coalition, the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) with five members in the lower house, had announced on Monday that it had "accepted the opposition's invitation" to vote against Khan.
Khan, meanwhile, on Wednesday, deferred his address to the nation hours after an announcement was made that he will take people into confidence about a "foreign-funded conspiracy" to oust his government.
Addressing a mammoth rally in the national capital on Sunday, Khan had claimed that foreign powers were involved in a conspiracy to topple his government. He had pulled a document from his pocket before the charged crowd and said it was a letter sent to intimidate him. According to media sources, Khan cancelled the national address after meeting the Pakistan Army chief.
According to media reports, Imran Khan has ordered all PTI legislators to remain absent from the assembly on the day of the vote to mitigate any chance of dissidents secretly supporting the motion to remove him. Absenteeism would not hurt Khan's cause because he doesn't need to win; he just needs to ensure that the opposition cannot get the 172 votes needed to pass the no-confidence motion. Khan has also filed a petition in the courts seeking lifetime electoral bans against on those found to have broken ranks, in a bid to dissuade potential dissidents.
