The day comes after Pakistan’s Supreme Court blocked his attempt to stay in power, ruling that his move to dissolve parliament and call early elections was illegal. This set the stage for today’s vote, which is expected at 6.30 am UK time, with opposition politicians saying they had the 172 votes in the 342-seat assembly needed to oust Mr Khan. But the former cricket star who became a conservative Islamist politician remains steadfast, vowing on Friday that he “will not accept an imposed government.” Read more: Death threats and dirty tricks not enough to deter Imran Khan ahead of no-confidence vote Image: Ppposition party leaders Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, left, Shahbaz Sharif, center and Asadur Rehman, vote ‘As good as he left’ Mr Khan came to power in 2018, but recently lost his parliamentary majority and a leading newspaper recently described him as “as good as he left”. The fighting prime minister urged his opponents to take to the streets in support. “All of you should go out on Sunday after the afternoon prayer to protest, to protest peacefully … I say again that you should never resort to violence,” he said. “It should be a peaceful protest.” Opposition politicians submitted a motion of censure to parliament last Sunday, and in response, Mr Khan dissolved parliament and called early elections – a move that was deemed illegal. The vote was cast on what the opposition called the prime minister’s economic and political mismanagement, and he is accused of failing to revive the economy and tackle corruption. No prime minister has completed a full five-year term since gaining independence from Britain in 1947. Allegations of collusion between the opposition and the United States Mr Kahn has accused his opponents of colluding with the United States to oust him, but has provided no evidence. He said he wanted the Supreme Court to investigate communications between a senior US diplomat, whom he did not name, and Pakistani diplomats, whom he claims have evidence of collusion. He claims that the US government wants to leave because of its foreign policy choices in favor of Russia and China. He visited Moscow on February 24 and held talks with Vladimir Putin – the same day the tanks arrived in Ukraine. The State Department denied any involvement, with spokeswoman Jalina Porter telling reporters Friday that “there is absolutely no truth to these allegations.” Image: The latest development threatens new political instability. Photo: AP What could happen next? If the opposition wins the vote, it is up to parliament to elect a new head of government, possibly the opposition leader, the brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif. He would remain in office until October 2023, when new elections are scheduled. Nawaz Sharif was ousted after being convicted of corruption and named after the so-called Panama Papers. If the opposition fails, early elections will be called.
