The President of Pakistan dissolves the National Assembly

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday called for early elections, dissolving parliament just three months after escaping a no – confidence motion from the opposition to oust him.

This dramatic turn came as Imran Khan lost his parliamentary majority a few days ago, which was necessary to overcome the impeachment resolution submitted by the opposition, accusing it of being clumsy in poor financial management and foreign policy.

But on Sunday, at the beginning of the session, when the motion was to be considered, the Vice President of the National Assembly, Mr. Khan’s loyalist Qasim Suri, surprised by announcing that he had refused to submit it. Vote judging it to be “unconstitutional”.

The news was greeted with anger and surprise by opposition MPs, many of whom refused to leave the chamber.

“This date will be remembered as the darkest day in the constitutional history of Pakistan,” said Shehbaz Sharif, leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), which replaced Imran Khan as a favorite in the wake of the impeachment resolution’s success.

In a speech on state television minutes after saving his seat, Imran Khan denounced “foreign interference” which led to attempts to oust him from power and demanded that the President of Pakistan dissolve the National Assembly.

Acting President Arif Alvi has accepted a request to hold early legislative elections within 90 days.

“We appeal to the people, hold elections and let the country decide,” Imran Khan said.

The former National Cricket Glory Party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI, Pakistan Justice Movement), lost its parliamentary majority last week when the allies announced that their seven MPs would vote alongside the opposition. More than a dozen PTI deputies also switched party.

Imran Khan on Saturday called on his supporters to demonstrate peacefully outside parliament and indicated he still had the card to play. “I have a plan for tomorrow, don’t worry. I will show them and I will defeat them in front of the society, ”he promised.

Earlier this week, he accused the US of interfering in Pakistan’s affairs. According to local media, he received a report from Pakistan’s ambassador to Washington recording a senior US official telling him that relations between the two countries would improve if he left the post of prime minister. Washington denies.

Imran Khan on Sunday once again accused the US of seeking to “change the regime” in Pakistan because of its refusal to align itself with the US stance on Russia and China. “This betrayal has come out before the eyes of the whole country and the traitors are sitting there plotting their conspiracy,” he told the opposition.

His opponents have accused Imran Khan, 69, of overcoming his worst political crisis since he was elected in 2018, at least for now, accusing him of poor financial management – exorbitant inflation, a weak rupee and depressing debt – and foreign policy clumsiness. .

The two main opposition parties, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Pakistan Muslim League, have dominated national politics for decades, lasting periods of power through military coups, until Imran Khan formed a coalition that promised voters for decades. Corruption.

Some analysts believe that Imran Khan has lost key military support for Pakistan’s political power. But his glorious recovery on Sunday would not have happened without the knowledge of the army or their blessing.

“New elections are the best option for the new government to tackle economic, political and external issues in this situation,” said Talat Masood, a former general and political analyst.

Since independence in 1947, Pakistan has seen four successful military coups and at least several coup attempts, and the country has been under military rule for more than three decades.

No Prime Minister has completed his term in Pakistan.