Pakistan political crisis in top court today as Imran Khan tries to hit reset

Imran Khan stunned Pakistan by calling for fresh polls on Sunday as the country saw rapid political developments amid a call for no trust vote against the 69-year-old cricketer-politician.

The highly anticipated no confidence motion – submitted by the opposition on March 8 – was rejected in a surprise move by National Assembly deputy speaker Qasim Suri over Article 5 of the constitution, which calls for “loyalty to (the) state”.

The Imran Khan government has been dismissing the move against him – which came amid the country’s mounting economic crisis – as “foreign conspiracy”. With the opposition calling the dismissal of the no trust motion “unconstitutional”, the Supreme Court is set to decide on Monday if Khan gets his wish for an election, or whether the no-confidence vote should proceed.

Here are ten points on the Pakistan political crisis:

1. Minutes after the Pakistan National Assembly saw chaos on Sunday as the no trust vote was rejected, Imran Khan gave a surprise address to the nation and called for fresh elections. “Prepare for elections. No corrupt forces will decide what the future of the country will be. When the assemblies will be dissolved, the procedure for the next elections and the caretaker government will begin,” he said.

2. The country would see elections in the next three months, his ministers had said on Sunday. “Mr. Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi, shall continue as Prime Minister till the appointment of caretaker Prime Minister under Article 224 A (4) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” a tweet from the president’s office read.

3. The National Assembly was dissolved by President Dr Arif Alvi – who is also said to be an Imran Khan ally – within hours in a series of dramatic developments. “The President of Pakistan, Dr Arif Alvi, has approved the advice of the Prime Minister of Pakistan to dissolve the National Assembly under the Article 58 (1) read with Article 48(1) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan,” a tweet from the president’s office read.

4. A united opposition then called for mock parliament session. About 197 opposition members voted to oust Khan, Pakistan Peoples Party leader Sherry Rehman tweeted. The opposition leaders earlier in the day had gone to Supreme Court against the action by the Imran Khan government.

5. Shehbaz Sharif, leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, has also emerged as the opposition’s choice to replace Imran Khan. He lashed out at the Imran Khan government for the unprecedented action. “It is nothing short of a high treason. IK has pushed the country into anarchy. Niazi & his cohort will not be allowed to go scot-free. There will be consequences for blatant & brazen violation of the Constitution. Hope SC will play its role to uphold the Constitution,” a tweet he had put out read.

6. The country’s Army has distanced itself from the political crisis. “Army has nothing to do with the political process,” Major General Babar Iftikhar, the head of the military’s public relations wing, was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters. Imran Khan was said to have Army’s backing when he came to power.

7. Imran Khan has been accusing the US of trying to topple his government – a claim the US has denied. On Sunday, he even named an envoy. The Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu was involved in the “foreign conspiracy”, he said.

8. If Khan returns to power, analysts say, he will have to put a lot of work into rebuilding ties with the US. His proximity to China and Russia had irked the West he had claimed.

9. Pak Army chief Qamar Javed Bajwa on Saturday had said that his country has always enjoyed close ties with the US – a remark that was seen as a dig at Khan’s constant tirade.

10. No Pakistan prime minister has been able to complete a term. The crisis in Pakistan comes at a time when Sri Lanka is also facing an economic crisis.