Imran Khan, the Prime Minister of Pakistan, has decided to dissolve the Parliament rather than face a vote of no-confidence. Now, opposition leaders have gone to the Supreme Court to file a petitions on the constitutionality of the move.
Imran Khan has been controversial as the leader of Pakistan, this is to put it mildly. This led many in the opposition to seek a vote of no-confidence. With that date rapidly approaching Khan has decided to dissolve the Parliament, enraging many.
This move came on Sunday when leaders were meeting to hold said vote. Khan defended his move as combatting foreign leaders influencing politicians in Pakistan to push for regime change.
Astonished by reaction of PDM to our calling for general elections. They have been crying hoarse abt how our govt has failed & lost support of the ppl so why the fear of elections now? Democrats go to the ppl for support.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 3, 2022
Opposition figures have flatly denied this claim and no evidence has been given to even attempt to prove its veracity.
Khan himself has been accused of massive corruption, including allegations of using the military and possible vote rigging in the 2018 elections when Khan became the Prime Minister.
He has also been under scrutiny for his close ties to authoritarian regimes like the CCP in China, which has brought criticism both for the interment of Muslims in Xinjiang and fears about debt peonage that could result from Belt and Road initiatives in Pakistan.
Khan likely knows that he has a better shot at winning, or perhaps tampering with, an election than by leaving it up to a Parliament that would have likely ousted him. Even though the Prime Minister has seen some loss of support due to his foreign policy and rising costs domestically, he still does command a generous amount of followers in Pakistan.
While it is uncertain if this move will further hurt or help Khan, it seems that changes in leadership may soon be coming to Pakistan.