Imran Khan has been facing mounting criticism of his performance.
New Delhi:
Pakistan’s opposition today called on Prime Minister Imran Khan to resign ahead of a no-trust vote. The Opposition launched a sit-in protest after the vote was deferred to April 3. After the adjournment was announced, slogans of ‘Go Imran Go’ were heard on the floor of the Pakistan National Assembly.
Go Imran Go
#NoNROforNiazipic.twitter.com/jBuHfiHB7n— Badar Shahbaz ???????? (@BSWarraich) March 31, 2022
Imran Khan, 69, has been facing mounting criticism of his performance, including his management of an economy beset by high inflation and rising deficits, and he lost his majority in parliament on Wednesday when a main ally quit his coalition.
Opposition leaders had called on Imran Khan to resign even before he lost his majority in parliament, but his aides have said he will not quit.
Opposition parties have said that Imran Khan, who had come to power on the slogan of fighting corruption, was “found hiding crucial information” from the Election Commission of Pakistan in a foreign funding case. Mr Khan has been accused by the Opposition of taking money from other countries without disclosing it to the Election Commission of Pakistan as well as the State Bank of Pakistan.
Imran Khan has ordered all his party 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 his 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.
