The Washington Post - USA (2022-04-10)

A26 EZ RE THE WASHINGTON POST.SUNDAY, APRIL 10 , 2022

On Saturday morning, when

Parliament went into session,

opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif

urged that the vote be held as

soon as possible. “Today, Parlia-

ment will be writing history and

defeat an elected prime minister

in a constitutional manner,” he

declared.

Instead, pro-government

members spent much of the day

giving long, rambling speeches

in an effort to delay the vote.

Repeated recesses were called,

and then a longer evening pause

to break the Ramadan fast.

Meanwhile, Khan spoke at a

charity event and held a closed-

door Cabinet meeting.

He then emerged to tell sev-

eral local journalists that he

would “not accept a new govern-

ment that came from the out-

side,” and said he planned to

show the “foreign conspiracy”

document to Supreme Court jus-

tices and other officials.

Until that moment, Khan had

refused to make the document

public, but had described it as a

private diplomatic message from

the then-Pakistani ambassador

in Washington, saying that a U.S.

official had threatened his gov-

ernment during a meeting in

early March. A spokesman for

the U.S. State Department has

said there is “no truth” to Khan’s

accusation.

As tension mounted in the

darkened capital, Pakistani news

stations reported that the Su-

preme Court would open at mid-

night to deal with the crisis. The

federal investigative agency is-

sued a high alert at all airports

and said no official could

leave the country without per-

mission. Then the national as-

sembly speaker announced that

he was resigning to support

Khan after viewing the secret

document.

This cleared the way for an-

other official to preside over the

vote. The count started just be-

projects sputtered, he main-
tained a loyal following, especial-
ly among young Pakistanis. But
he also made political enemies,
rejected advice from military
leaders and lost allies to the
opposition, which slowly gath-
ered enough support to chal-
lenge his fitness for office.
As his luster dimmed, Khan
launched an aggressive cam-
paign to restore it. He held
massive rallies and gave speech-
es with stirring nationalist and
religious themes, even couching
his effort as a fight between good
and evil. And when it appeared
that his opponents had mar-
shaled enough votes to re-
move him, Khan dissolved the
legislature April 3 and arranged
to have the vote abruptly can-
celed, on the grounds that it was
based on an illegal foreign con-
spiracy.
Stunned and enraged, opposi-
tion leaders rushed to the Su-
preme Court, demanding that it
overturn Khan’s actions on the
grounds that they were unconsti-
tutional and illegal. For the next
four days, Pakistan’s democratic
system hung in the balance,
while the court held day-long
hearings and the nation waited
anxiously for it to act.
On Thursday, the justices
ruled unanimously that Khan’s
maneuvers had been illegal and
that the vote must be held. Khan,
in a subdued address to the
nation Friday, said he would
accept the decision.
While tacitly acknowledging
that he would probably lose,
Khan called on his supporters to
come out in “peaceful protest”
afterward and vowed to seek
election again.
But just a day later, the embat-
tled premier decided to resist the
drive to oust him, defying the
court’s ruling and setting up an
institutional confrontation.

PAKISTAN FROM A1

Late Khan e≠orts

to maintain power

were rebu≠ed

ment, which he has often criti-

cized despite a long history of

shared security concerns be-

tween the two countries, that

began with the Cold War and was

revived after the attacks of Sept.

11, 2001.

After taking office, Khan shift-

ed Pakistan’s allegiance to China

and caused consternation in

Washington with some of his

policies and public gestures. He

made a blanket refusal to host

U.S. bases, welcomed last year’s

Taliban takeover in Afghanistan

and traveled to Moscow to meet

with President Vladimir Putin on

the eve of the invasion of

Ukraine.

“I will never accept the im-

ported government, and I will

take to the streets,” Khan vowed

in his speech, describing himself

as a fighter who has struggled for

the rights and independence of

Pakistan. “I came in with the

people, and I will go out with the

people.”

ence that cut short a prime

minister’s tenure. It was a legally

held vote, endorsed by the judici-

ary, in a careful legalistic ruling

that was widely applauded.

Pakistan’s daily Dawn newspa-

per, in its lead editorial Friday,

said the court’s action had de-

feated an “egregious assault on

the country’s democratic order”

at a moment when “matters

seemed be hurtling towards cha-

os.” It said Khan’s stubborn re-

fusal to step down had “rendered

Pakistan’s entire democracy a

farce,” and it expressed hope that

the court’s verdict would “pull

the country back from the preci-

pice.”

In his televised address Friday

night, Khan bitterly denounced

Pakistan’s political system as an

“evil” process where votes are

“bought and sold,” calling it

“worse than a banana republic.”

He also reiterated the explosive

charges that his opponents had

conspired with the U.S. govern-

miers — all of whom had been

forced out before their terms

ended. But in one way, many

Pakistani observers said it

marked a positive step for Paki-

stan’s weak democracy.

For the first time since the

nation’s founding in 1947, it was

neither a military coup nor an-

other form of extralegal interfer-

fore midnight, and by 1:30 a.m.,

the embattled premier had been

removed from office.

“It’s a new day for our coun-

try,” exulted Sharif, the leader of

the legislative opposition, who is

expected to become interim

prime minister until elections

are held in the fall. “Now we will

make Pakistan again a country

grounded in the law and the

Constitution.”

Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, leader

of the opposition Pakistan Peo-

ple’s Party, stood amid a sea of

cheering and clapping legisla-

tors, a wide grin on his face. “My

message to Pakistani youth is

never give up your dreams. Any-

thing is possible,” he said.

“ Welcome back to the old Paki-

stan.”

Khan’s ouster, which ended

his term in office 18 months

early, was a stunning blow to an

ambitious politician who sud-

denly joined the beleaguered

ranks of Pakistan’s previous pre-

AAMIR QURESHI/AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE/GETTY IMAGES

Police officers outside the Parliament House building in Islamabad on Saturday. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan a ccepted a Supreme

Court ruling that would oust him from office, but then insisted he was victim of a “regime change” conspiracy involving the United States.

ANJUM NAVEED/ASSOCIATED PRESS

Khan called Pakistan’s political

system “worse than a banana

republic” in a Friday address.

CaseDesign.com |844.831.5966

The CaseStudy®

Since our first renovation over 60 years ago we’ve been a team

of visionaries, but we recognize that some things should be

consistent every time. Our unique approach to the remodeling

process is tried and true. It’s so effective that we had to give it a

name: The CaseStudy®. We guide you through every step, using

3D renderings to bring new possibilities to light. At every phase of

our work, we’ll maintain strict attention to time and budget. Don’t

forget our 5-year warranty. Because you are our highest priority.

Visit our website to set a virtual appointment or to learn more.

MD MHIC #1176 | VA # 2701039723 | DC #2242

Our commitment to providing a safe, healthy,

and respectful worksite and experience.

Balance. Harmony. Be auty.

Are our ultimate pursuits.

Whether you’re considering an

outdoor oasis, food lover’s kitchen,

or owner’s suite. Because during these

times, home is more important than ever.

®