LahoreImran Khan, who was removed from the post of Prime Minister of Pakistan, was so desperate to cling to power that he ‘begged’ the military establishment till the last minute to save his government. This was said by Maryam Nawaz, the vice-president of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N). The mighty military has ruled Pakistan by coup d’état for more than half of its 75 years of existence and continues to hold considerable power in matters of security and foreign policy. However, the Army distanced itself from the recent high-voltage political tussle between Shahbaz Sharif and Khan, saying it had nothing to do with politics.
“Imran Khan was so desperate that he begged to save his government till his last moments in power,” Maryam told a workers’ conference in Lahore late Tuesday. He even requested former President and PPP co-chair Asif Ali Zardari to help him in the wake of the no-confidence motion against him.
She was referring to Khan’s desperate attempts to delay the no-confidence vote against him until the Supreme Court opens at midnight on April 10 and orders completion of the constitutional process. Khan was removed as prime minister on April 10 via a no-confidence vote brought by the opposition in the National Assembly, becoming the first Pakistani prime minister to be ousted by parliament in the coup-hit country.
Maryam is tasked by her father and three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to hold rallies, especially in Punjab, to counter Khan’s public show of power. Sharif – against whom several corruption cases were launched by the previous Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf government led by Khan – moved to London in November 2019 after the Lahore High Court allowed him to go abroad and is yet to return. returned.
The new PML(N)-led coalition government recently issued Sharif a new passport, paving the way for his return to the country. However, the Sharif family has announced that a decision on the return of the 72-year-old PML-N supremo will be taken at an appropriate time.
first published:April 27, 2022, 4:14 p.m.
