- MQM, a key party of coalition led by Imran Khan has decided to side with the opposition during the upcoming no-trust motion against Imran Khan
- It is being speculated that Imran Khan will resign even before the vote on the no-trust motion begins
- Imran Khan was never a politician, to begin with, and has only brought in disasters for Pakistan
Ever Since the gossip around Imran Khan’s possible entry into politics gained momentum, a majority of Pakistanis wanted to see him as their Prime Minister. For the Pakistani population, a world cup win in cricket was good enough evidence that the man is ready to take charge of a dilapidated country. “Aapne ghabrana Nahi hai”, a phrase used by Imran khan to assuage his countrymen became a tagline of his Prime Ministership.
Imran Khan is in a panic mode
However, the man who used to pacify Pakistanis is himself in a panic mode. Imran Khan looks all set to lose his chair even before the upcoming debate on the trust motion in Pakistani Parliament. Interestingly, Imran, once known for handling mavericks has not been able to assimilate one of his partners in the coalition.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM), a key partner in the coalition government led by Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has drifted away from the coalition ahead of the no-trust voting in Pakistani Parliament. According to Sheikh Rashid, Pakistan’s Interior Minister, voting on the motion will begin on April 3. The voting will be held after a 3-day long debate commencing on March 31.
MQM on the oppositions’ side
MQM’s decision to not support Imran Khan was announced in the wee hours of 30th March. Reportedly, the opposition parties rallying against the Imran Khan-led government held various rounds of deliberations with MQM to convince them of being on their side.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, son of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and current chairman of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), a key member of opposition, tweeted, “The united opposition and MQM have reached an agreement. Rabta committee MQM & PPP CEC will ratify the said agreement. We will then share details with the media in a press conference tomorrow. Congratulations Pakistan. “
The united opposition and MQM have reached an agreement. Rabta committee MQM & PPP CEC will ratify said agreement. We will then share details with the media in a press conference tomorrow IA. Congratulations Pakistan.
— BilawalBhuttoZardari (@BBhuttoZardari) March 29, 2022
MQM and opposition have signed a draft to topple the Imran Khan government. According to reports, Shahbaz Sharif, the leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, and Pakistan People’s Party Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari are other key signatories of this agreement.
After the withdrawal of MQM, the Imran Khan-led government is left with only 164 seats in the national assembly. To form a government in Pakistan, a party or a coalition requires a minimum of 172 seats. With the MQM being on the opposition side, they now have 177 seats in total.
Khan attacks the opposition’s credentials
Various media reports suggest that Imran Khan does not want to face the no-trust motion in the parliament. A few days ago, Imran Khan had directed his party members to either abstain from voting or boycott the no-trust motion brought against him. It is also being speculated that he will resign outside the assembly.
The no-confidence motion against Imran Khan was brought in by Shehbaz Sharif, the chief of Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz. He has already taken the opposition on his side. Instead of solving the problems raised by them, the Imran Khan government has resorted to personal attacks on the opposition.
Imran Khan declared that the USA and its allies want to throw him out of power and the opposition is helping the western countries. His civil aviation minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan went a step further and threatened the whole opposition by killing them through suicide bombings.
Imran Khan’s tenure has been a story of failures
Contrary to expectations, the Imran Khan government has been highly unpopular in Pakistan. When he came to power in 2018, people expected that he would work towards sorting out the internal issues of Pakistan. His ‘Naya Pakistan’ promise ignited a sense of hope in people’s minds.
Imran Khan turned out exactly the opposite of what people expected of him. Cricketer turned politician brought in the worst inflation in Pakistan’s history. Civil unrest and infighting became a common sight in Pakistan. Throughout his Prime Ministership, Imran Khan kept running from one international forum to another for economic packages.
Read more: Pakistan is headed towards historic poverty with historic inflation
Moreover, he did nothing to improve the internal security of the country. He sided with the Taliban and helped them to gain power in Kabul. Taliban in turn ditched Pakistan and promoted terrorism in the country by supporting Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). For the Pakistani population, one of the glaring failures of Khan’s administration is that the Modi government has not allowed Pakistan to take up its Kashmiri cause.
Read more: Taliban was recreated in Pakistan’s terror labs but it has now turned hostile
Frankly, Imran Khan was never cut out for politics. He completely remodelled his personality to adjust to political demands, but even that could not bring him laurels. It’s time for Imran Khan to retire from active politics and take up something else.
