Imran's desperate bid to cling to power brought Pak closer to civilian coup

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's unscrupulous and desperate attempts to cling on to power by inciting his followers to protest and rebellion was equivalent to a civilian coup, said a media report.

Khan, who became the first Pakistani Prime Minister to be ousted through a no-confidence motion, had said that he would fight "till the last ball". However, the statement actually meant using every trick, irrespective of how unethical and undemocratic it was, to cling on to power, reported Islam Khabar.

Moreover, the former premier refused to accept the new reality in the country even after his ouster as he opposed Shahbaz Sharif's candidature for the Prime Minister's post, citing court cases against him, and also threatened to resign en masse from the National Assembly if the demand was not met.

Khan's desperate attempts to stay in power followed by his unceremonious exit suggested how he was following the former US President Donald Trump who too was not ready to accept his defeat to the current US President Joe Biden. Khan, too, in a similar manner, refused to accept his ouster, alleging collusion between his political opponents and the US to topple his government.

Terming the protests by his followers as the rejection of the new government by the people, he claimed that the people of Pakistan have vowed to fight against the "foreign conspiracy" and the "imported government led by crooks".

Imran Khan's statement regarding Pakistan's "sovereignty and democracy" is quite contradictory to the actions he took to retain his power. The cricketer-turned-politician, who his opponents have claimed, was chosen by Pakistan's powerful army made several desperate attempts to retain his power as reportedly he even planned to sack Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. However, Khan's conspiracy failed since the information about his plan was intercepted by intelligence agencies, reported Islam Khabar.

Further, there had been repeated attempts by the Khan-led government to obstruct the no-trust motion, however, when it could not stop the motion from being tabled in the Assembly, it colluded with the President of Pakistan and the Speaker to dissolve the House. This attempt was also foiled by Supreme Court as it set aside the rejection of the no-trust motion.

When voting on the motion became inevitable, Imran Khan mulled the idea of imposing martial law in the country, which would have led to the suspension of important institutions, including courts, according to the media outlet, which further notes his failure in this attempt as well.

After all his attempts proved ineffective, Khan held his opponents responsible for the political turmoil in the country as he alleged their connivance with the US to topple the government. His praise for India as a "self-respecting nation" further suggests that he doesn't practise what he preaches, else he would have followed the example of Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who peacefully relinquished his power twice when he fell short of a required strength in the country's Parliament. Vajpayee later returned to power with the majority, however, Khan could not show the same statesmanship, reported Islam Khabar.

Instead, he refused to accept the defeat and threatened to gather his supporters out on the streets. "I will not accept this imported government, I will take to the street. Only people can bring me to power and I will come back with the help of the people," the media outlet quoted him as saying before voting on the no-confidence motion.

Pakistan, which is not new to a military coup as the country had been under Army rule for over three decades, witnessed a civilian coup this time through Khan's desperate attempts to remain in power.