File photo of P.M. Imran Khan. Photo courtesy PID
In televised address, premier says he accepts Supreme Court ruling but will not accept the legitimacy of any government imposed by ‘foreign powers’
Urging Pakistanis to stage protests nationwide on Sunday night, Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said he will “never” accept an “imported government” in the country.
Reiterating his thus-far-unsubstantiated allegations of a “foreign conspiracy” backing the opposition’s no-confidence motion to oust him from power, Khan said he wanted the public to decide if they were willing to accept a new government after his ouster. “All the people should come out of their homes to protest against the foreign-funded drama,” he said in a nationally televised address that could be the last of his tenure if the opposition’s vote of no-confidence succeeds. “I will be there with you, as I will never accept this foreign conspiracy against Pakistan,” he said, adding that this should be a “peaceful” protest that would show the people’s desire for an “independent” nation.
The prime minister commenced his speech by maintaining that while he was “saddened” by it, he respected the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s ruling against Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri’s dismissal of the vote of no-confidence on April 3. Recalling that the deputy speaker had prorogued the National Assembly and set aside the no-confidence motion by invoking Article 5 (loyalty to the state) of the Constitution, he reiterated his allegation of “foreign interference” in the process.
“I wanted the Supreme Court to at least look at it [alleged conspiracy]. It was a very serious allegation that a foreign country wants to topple the government through a conspiracy,” he said, without acknowledging that the court had examined the minutes of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security and considered them irrelevant to the matter of whether the deputy speaker’s ruling was legal.
“The SC could have at least asked for and looked at the document to gauge whether we’re speaking the truth. I was a bit disappointed because this is a very big issue and there was no discussion on it in the SC,” he said, and also questioned why the apex court did not examine the matter of horse-trading.
“What kind of democracy is this? Which democracy in the world allows this [horse-trading]? And the biggest forum for justice, the judiciary, we expected it to take suo motu action if nothing else,” he said and reiterated his allegations of the opposition’s Pakistan Muslim League (Nawaz) having “introduced” horse-trading to Pakistan 30 years ago.
Even lawmakers elected on reserved seats were selling their consciences, he said, of the dissident members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf who have pledged their support to the opposition. Those seats were a “gift” from the ruling party, he added.
“I say to my nation, you have to save yourselves from this foreign conspiracy. If you do not stand against this, no one will come to save you,” he said.
Diplomatic cable
On the diplomatic cable the PTI claims “proves” a “foreign conspiracy” to oust Khan, the prime minister said he had wanted to share it with the public but was unable to do so because it would “expose Pakistan’s secret code” that was used to convey messages by missions abroad.
Summarizing the alleged contents of the cable, he said Pakistan’s then-ambassador to the U.S. had met an American official who had said that the prime minister should not have gone to Russia. “He [U.S. official] also knew a no-confidence was coming. He said if Imran Khan is saved from it, then Pakistan will have to face consequences. See the arrogance [that] if the sitting prime minister is not removed, Pakistan will be damaged,” he said.
“And then he [U.S. official] said that if [Khan] loses, Pakistan will be forgiven. He did not even say that if [I] lose and whoever comes next, we will first see what he does and then forgive him which means he knew who was coming [to power],” he alleged, based on his assumptions.
Claiming this was an insult to all 220 million Pakistanis, he reiterated his laments about why the country had ever secured independence from the British if this is the way it was going to proceed. The prime minister alleged that American diplomats had met several PTI lawmakers a few months ago and questioned them on the potential aftermath of a vote of no-confidence.
“It is necessary for all of us to decide whether we want to live as an independent, sovereign nation or be slaves like this,” he said, claiming the U.S. was aware of opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif’s plans to come to power because he thought “beggars can’t be choosers.”
West vs. Khan
The prime minister claimed western nations wanted to remove him because of opposition to drone strikes—a non-issue for his entire tenure as P.M.—and the Iraq war—a non-issue for nearly two decades—and his “consistent” stance that there was no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan.
“When [those who say] beggars cannot be choosers were in power, who demonstrated and held sit-ins [against drone strikes]? Imran Khan. They [West] know Imran Khan has no stolen money or property or bank accounts abroad which means he cannot be controlled. It is necessary to remove [me] because [I] cannot become [their] puppet,” he claimed. “All this drama is being done to remove one man.”
Renewing his call for Pakistanis to decide the kind of Pakistan they wanted, he said: “Choose people through elections. What kind of democracy is this?” he asked.
Perhaps forgetting his own dubious alliances with political parties that he had accused of corruption and worse, Khan criticized opposition parties for allying with each other despite calling each other thieves in the past. “Now they are all gathering together to get power by any means,” he said, even though the opposition’s no-confidence vote is in line with the Constitution unlike the PTI’s attempt to dismiss it, which the Supreme Court ruled as “unconstitutional.”
The prime minister also claimed the opposition didn’t want electronic voting machines or overseas Pakistanis’ voting. “If they are democrats, announce elections and see who the public votes for,” he said.
Independent India
Prime Minister Khan—using a phrase he is particularly fond of—said he “knew India better than other politicians” and expressed sadness that Pakistan did not have good relations with Delhi because of its “RSS ideology and what happened in Kashmir.”
Praising India’s “independent” foreign policy, he choked up while claiming no superpower had the courage to tell Delhi to change its foreign policy. “They [India] are saying they will import Russian oil because it is better for their people despite the sanctions [on Russia],” he said, claiming he had the same problem.
“I cannot sacrifice my people for any other nation,” he said, adding that the only way to lift the people out of poverty was to ensure Pakistan did not enter into any war. It is unclear which war the premier thinks the West wants Pakistan to join at this juncture.
“I want to tell my youth, your future is your own hands. The country’s sovereignty is in your hands. No army or foreign power can protect democracy, it is the nation that does so. This attack on our sovereignty, if you do not take a stand against it today, whoever comes into power will look at what the superpowers want and act accordingly,” he said. “We are not a nation to be used as a tissue paper. We do not want a one-sided relationship with anyone. When European Union ambassadors gave a statement against protocol asking Pakistan to condemn Russia [over the Ukrainian invasion] … can they say that in India? Do they have the courage?”
On Thursday, after four days of proceedings, the Supreme Court issued a short order ruling that the deputy speaker’s dismissal of the no-confidence resolution was “contrary to the Constitution and the law and of no legal effect.” It said all subsequent steps taken by the government, including dissolving the Lower House and calling for early elections were likewise illegal and directed authorities to ensure the vote of no-confidence was allowed to proceed on Saturday.