Prime Minister Imran Khan threw Pakistan into chaos on Sunday, calling for a fresh election after one of his political allies abruptly scrapped a no-confidence vote in a shock move that will be reviewed by the nation’s highest court.
Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri, a member of Khan’s ruling party, cited “foreign interference” in canceling a no-confidence motion brought by the opposition, which said it had the numbers to oust him and take power. Khan then asked the president to dissolve parliament, which was approved shortly afterward.
“The public decides who they want in power,” Khan, 69, told the nation in a televised address. “I want to tell the public to get ready for elections.”
Pakistan’s Supreme Court began a review of the no-confidence motion’s dismissal and the dissolution of parliament, and said arguments would be heard on Monday. The government announced that Khan would continue as caretaker prime minister while the cabinet had been dissolved.
The move risks leading to more political upheaval in Pakistan, which has been ruled by the military for nearly half of its history. Ahead of the vote, Khan had alleged evidence of an “international conspiracy” to unseat him led by the U.S., which has denied the allegations.
Pakistan’s army is “absolutely not” involved in the current political situation, army spokesman Major General Babar Iftikhar told Geo News. He didn’t immediately respond to questions sent by Bloomberg.
Khan for weeks had been under pressure to step down after key allies abandoned him ahead of the planned no-confidence vote on Sunday, as the nation grapples with Asia’s second-highest inflation. While he earlier floated the idea of calling an election, he couldn’t do so unless the opposition withdrew the no-confidence motion.
Pakistan’s opposition parties said the cancellation of the no-confidence vote was illegal and vowed to contest the move in court. Opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif, who was set to take power if Khan lost the vote, told reporters the deputy speaker and Khan would be charged with treason for violating the constitution.
“We aren’t leaving the parliament,” said Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, a former prime minister and lawmaker of the opposition Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party. “This is now test of the Supreme Court to protect the constitution and the country.”
In one sign of trouble for Khan, his deputy attorney general resigned in the wake of Sunday’s events. Raja Khalid, the second-most senior lawyer in the administration, called the deputy speaker’s ruling to cancel the no-confidence vote a “blatant violation” of the constitution and said he couldn’t defend the government at any forum.
“Imran Khan’s government has made a mockery of the constitution of Pakistan, and no dictator has done to Pakistan and Pakistan’s constitution what Imran Khan has done,” Khalid said. “What has happened is illegal and unconstitutional.”
Other legal experts agreed. Marva Khan, an assistant professor at the law school of Lahore University of Management Sciences, said the constitution was specifically amended in 2010 “to ensure that an outgoing PM does not create a crisis as a form of vengeance or retaliation.”
“The situation appears to go against the spirit of the constitution,” she said.
In recent months, Khan appeared to have fallen out with the South Asian nation’s powerful army over his handling of foreign policy issues as well as the economy. He clashed with top generals after publicly disagreeing with the army chief over a key promotion, undermining an important relationship that has helped him stay in power.
Pakistan’s military, once a top recipient of American arms, has also sought a more balanced foreign policy after becoming increasingly reliant on China for weapons. Khan improved ties with both Beijing and Moscow — meeting with Vladimir Putin just hours after the Russian leader ordered troops into Ukraine.
Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in a speech Saturday called for better relations with the U.S. and also criticized Russia for invading Ukraine — highlighting a schism with Khan’s administration.
The political turmoil has roiled Pakistan’s markets in recent weeks. The nation’s default risk as measured by five-year credit-default swaps has climbed and the rupee has traded at a record low against the U.S. dollar. Economists say the political upheaval may hamper efforts to negotiate the release of the International Monetary Fund’s loan installment as foreign reserves fall.
Khan recently cut domestic fuel and power prices to temper public anger over rising living costs, putting the IMF program in jeopardy.
Any delay in IMF funding “could accelerate capital outflows and put pressure on already falling foreign exchange reserves,” Bloomberg Economics’ Ankur Shukla wrote in a report Sunday. “The currency could depreciate sharply and push up inflation — adding to the case for rate hikes.”
