Amid mounting pressure over the no-trust motion in the National Assembly, embattled Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan sought to put up a brave face on Thursday as he asserted that he would not resign ahead of the voting on the resolution against him.
In a televised address to the nation, Khan said the voting on the no-trust motion will take place on Sunday, “which will decide the destiny of the country”. He also warned the parliamentarians that the coming generations will never forget them if they voted against him.
“I will not resign and will fight till the last ball,” he said.
The prime minister reiterated his allegations of a “foreign-backed conspiracy” to topple his government and said a "western country" is backing his ousting because he visited Russia to meet President Vladimir Putin last month. He even named the US in what appeared to be a slip of the tongue.
Mentioning about a “threat letter”, Khan said the message he had received from the foreign country through Pakistan’s ambassador was not only against him but the entire nation.
The foreign country, the prime minister claimed, knew that the opposition was going to table a no-trust motion against him in the National Assembly.
"What is most disturbing is that our people, who are sitting here, are in contact with foreign powers," Khan said, as he referred to the "three stooges"—Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president Shehbaz Sharif, Pakistan Peoples Party Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Maulana Fazlur Rehman.
"Will foreign countries want such corrupt people in power in their states? They are ready to accept such corrupt politicians, but I am not acceptable to them," the prime minister said.
Meanwhile, the National Assembly session was on Thursday adjourned abruptly till Sunday after opposition lawmakers demanded an immediate vote on a no-confidence motion.
On March 28, opposition leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif had tabled the motion against Khan under Article A-95 of the Constitution, and it had 161 members as signatories.
The position of the opposition parties has strengthened after two main allies of the government, including Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Balochistan Awami Party (BAP), joined the front against the government.
The government lost its majority after the allies ditched it and pressure is mounting on the cricketer-turned-politician. On Tuesday, Khan strictly directed his party lawmakers to either abstain or not attend the National Assembly session on the day of voting on the no-confidence motion against him.
Khan needs 172 votes in the lower house of 342 to foil the Opposition's bid to topple him. However, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, chief of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam Fazl (JUI-F), said that the Opposition has the support of 175 lawmakers and the prime minister should resign.
No Pakistani prime minister has ever completed a full five-year term in office. Also, no prime minister in Pakistan's history has ever been ousted through a no-confidence motion, and Khan is the third premier to face the challenge.
Khan came to power in 2018 with promises to create a Naya Pakistan' but miserably failed to address the basic problem of keeping the prices of commodities in control, giving air to the sails of opposition ships to make war on his government.
His chances of survival are getting slimmer and the easiest way to end the uncertainty is to get back the support of all allies and win back dissidents within his own party.
With PTI inputs
