Islamabad: Pakistan PM Imran Khan turned to grassroot supporters, lobbying the poor and promising better hospital care as he faces a no-confidence motion in parliament. The challenge may be the biggest yet for the former cricket star turned Islamist leader since he came to power in 2018. The opposition has demanded Khan step down over his alleged failure to improve the country’s economy. Pakistan’s key opposition parties launched a formal no-confidence vote for Khan earlier this month. Asad Qaiser, speaker of the National Assembly, convened a special session for Friday to deliberate whether Khan still has majority support in the house. Under the constitution, the parliament has three days to deliberate after which the lawmakers will vote, perhaps as early as Monday.
Khan has remained defiant, claiming he still enjoys the backing of the majority of lawmakers in the 342-seat house. On Monday, Khan spoke to a gathering at a hospital in Islamabad, lauding his government’s efforts to provide free healthcare for the poor. He also defended his government’s performance, saying all economic indicators show improvement in Pakistan’s economy.
But recent mutinies from within Khan’s own Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party could easily tip the scales against him. As many as 13 lawmakers from his party have indicated they could vote against him. After the 2018 election, Khan secured 176 votes in parliament to become PM. At a televised rally on Sunday, he urged the dissenters to come back, saying he would forgive them. Also, several lawmakers from parties allied with Khan opened talks last week with the opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement on a possible new realignment in parliament.
The votes of the dissenters from Khan’s ranks have also become an issue. Pakistan’s President Arif Alvi asked the Supreme Court for guidance on whether their votes should be counted and considered valid. Some law experts say those votes will be counted - even if the Election Commission later disqualifies them on complaints from Khan’s party. The opposition, which needs a simple majority of 172 votes to oust Khan, insists it has enough support.
