Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan.
Highlights
- Imran Khan wore black sunglasses in first meeting after losing no-confidence vote
- Imran Khan called party meeting to discuss way ahead of losing power
- The meeting came a day ahead of crucial national assembly session to elect new Prime Minister
Imran Khan, in a day-long dramatic national assembly session on Saturday lost the no-confidence vote and has been ousted as Prime Minister of Pakistan.
A day after being unseated as Prime Minister, Imran Khan chaired meeting of his party's core committee to discuss his next move.
Though the meeting was called to plan further coarse of action after his unceremonious removal from office, one thing which caught people's attention was Imran Khan wearing black sunglasses even when the meeting was taking place indoors.
Looking at the current political crisis in the country, it seems that the road ahead for Imran Khan is going to be tough.
On Monday, another crucial session of Pakistan's national assembly will commence for the election of the new Prime Minister. The united Opposition in Pakistan has nominated LoP Shehbaz Sharif as their PM candidate while Imran Khan's PTI has nominated former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Hussain Qureshi as their Prime Ministerial candidate.
However, there are negligible chances that Khan's party will get any success, after losing the no-trust vote.
Khan, 69, was removed from office through a no-confidence vote held late Saturday night, becoming the first premier in the country's history to be sent home after losing the trust of the lower house of Parliament.
Taking to Twitter, Senator Faisal Javed Khan said, "Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan will chair the core committee meeting of the party today insha'Allah."
"Imran Khan will announce the future course of action."
Pakistan's joint Opposition - a rainbow of socialist, liberal and radically religious parties - secured the support of 174 members in the 342-member National Assembly, more than the needed strength of 172 to oust the prime minister on a day full of drama and multiple adjournments of the House.
Khan is the first Pakistani prime minister whose fate was decided through a trust vote.
Earlier, two separate no-trust motions failed respectively against former premiers Benazir Bhutto in 1989 and Shaukat Aziz in 2006. Top leaders of Imran Khan's party have vowed to fight along with him.
Former finance and health minister Taimur Khan Jhagra said that losing the battle is insignificant.
"Winning the war for Pakistan that we desire is what matters. That fight will go on as long as it takes. Insha'Allah," he said.
Former energy minister Hammad Azhar said that on the call of "brave" leader Khan, a peaceful protest will be held across Pakistan after the Isha prayer (one of the five mandatory Islamic prayers).
Khan has been claiming that the Opposition’s no-confidence motion against him was the result of a “foreign conspiracy” because of his independent foreign policy and funds were being channelled from abroad to oust him from power.
In an address to the nation on Friday, he reiterated his allegations that a senior US diplomat threatened regime change in Pakistan.
Khan has alleged that Donald Lu, Assistant Secretary, Bureau of South and Central Asian Affairs in the Department of State was involved in the ‘foreign conspiracy’ to topple his government.
Khan lost the majority last month after some of the coalition partners decided to part ways while several dissidents openly defied his authority.
A special session was convened in the light of the verdict by the Supreme Court which on April 7 declared as unconstitutional a ruling by the deputy speaker to reject the no-trust move against Khan. The apex court also revoked the dissolution of the House.
(With inputs from PTI)
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