But raising Sharif will not guarantee a peaceful way forward, nor will it solve the country’s many economic problems, including high inflation and a rapid energy crisis. Sharif, the brother of disgraced former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, won by 174 votes after more than 100 lawmakers from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or Pakistan’s Justice Party, resigned and walked out of the National Assembly. These 174 votes – two more than the required simple majority – are enough to pass laws in the 342-seat assembly. If Han’s supporters take to the streets, as he has sworn, he could put more pressure on lawmakers and deepen the crisis. Khan, a former cricket star whose conservative Islamist ideology and harsh independence characterized his three years and eight months in power, was ousted in the early hours of Sunday. He lost the impeachment vote after leaving his party allies and a key coalition partner. In a show of force and as a harbinger of the political uncertainty that followed, Khan rallied hundreds of thousands of supporters Sunday night to protest his ouster, describing the new leadership as a “forced government”, accusing it of colluding with the United States to expel him. His supporters marched in cities across Pakistan, waving large party flags and shouting slogans promising to bring him back to power. The crowds were dominated by young people who are the backbone of Khan’s supporters. The political drama began on April 3, when Khan bypassed the opposition’s initial motion of censure, dissolving parliament and calling early elections. The opposition, which accuses Khan of financial mismanagement, has appealed to the Supreme Court. After four days of deliberation, the court ruled that Kahn’s move was illegal and the impeachment vote proceeded, leading to his ouster. Khan called for early elections – the vote is not expected before August 2023. He has exploited anti-American sentiment in Pakistan, accusing Washington of plotting with his opponents to overthrow him. This conspiracy theory resonates in its youthful base, which often sees the US war on terror after 9/11 as unjustly targeting Pakistan. Khan claims that Washington opposes him because of his independent foreign policy that favors China and Russia. He was criticized for a visit to Moscow on February 24, where he met with President Vladimir Putin as Russian tanks invaded Ukraine. The US State Department has denied any involvement in Pakistan’s domestic policy. The opposition coalition is made up of parties that are bridging the political divide, from the left to the radical religions. The two largest parties are the Muslim League of Pakistan, led by Sharif, and the People’s Party of Pakistan, which is chaired by the son and husband of Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister who was assassinated in 2007. Some wealthy and powerful families have dominated Pakistani politics for decades, with power usually alternating between the Sharif and Bhutto camps. Both politicians have been accused and occasionally convicted of widespread corruption. They dismissed the allegations as politically motivated. Nawaz Sharif ousted by Supreme Court in 2015 after being convicted of financial irregularities revealed in the so-called Panama Papers – a collection of leaked financial documents showing how some of the world’s richest people are hiding their money and engaging a global corporation based in Panama. Excluded by the Supreme Court. Bhutto’s husband, Asif Ali Zardari, who served as President of Pakistan after the 2008 elections, has spent more than seven years in prison on corruption charges. Khan came to power in 2018, promising to break the model of family rule in Pakistan, but his opponents said he was elected with the help of the powerful army, which ruled the country for half of its 75-year history. Nawaz Sharif was also ousted in a military coup in 1999, and the government of Benazir Bhutto was overthrown several times after the army sided with its opposition. In Pakistan’s politics, where faith is often fluid, Bhutto’s strongest opposition has often come from Sharif’s party. Shahbaz Sharif has served three times as prime minister of Pakistan’s most influential Punjab province, home to 60% of the country’s 220 million people. His son, Hamza, was elected the new prime minister last week by the Punjab provincial parliament, ousting Khan’s candidate. Khan’s party is contesting these elections and the younger Sharif has not yet been sworn in.
Associated Press writer Munir Ahmed in Islamabad contributed.
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