Opposition readies to oust Imran Khan for poor governance, mismanagement

Islamabad [Pakistan], March 10 : The apparent failure of Imran Khan in delivering on the promises he made has brought the opposition parties in Pakistan together. Now attempts are being made by them to oust Khan, which he said would lead to serious consequences.
But, the opposition parties are hell-bent on bringing down Khan's hybrid government, which they claim is actually run by the country's powerful army. Khan has been floundering under pressure as his decisions have worsened the economic and political situation in the country, which the opposition has blamed.
They now have submitted a no-trust motion against Khan to the National Assembly. The Speaker of the assembly now has to call for a session in 14 days. It means the fate of Khan will be decided before March ends.
Political parties like Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Pakistan Muslim League (PML-Q), which were allies of Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf so far, have now joined the opposition camp, led by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).
According to the opposition, Imran Khan has failed on several parameters of governance, security and diplomacy. Pakistan's reputed newspaper Friday Times said the country was in a bad economic situation due to poor governance and mismanagement at the highest levels of the Khan government.
PML-N Vice-President, Maryam Nawaz said, Khan had put Pakistan in a disadvantageous position. Claiming, Khan had become a liability and ought to be unseated, Nawaz said "Shut him in a room, or else if a monkey gets hold of a matchstick, there would be a threat of fire!"
Even his recent visit to Russia just before the invasion of Ukraine began, came under heavy criticism for being a dull-witted diplomatic move. Khan even took a potshot at the European Union diplomats for asking to condemn Russia over the Ukraine invasion.
This, Pakistani opposition leaders said, hurt Pakistan's image in the world. "Imran has destroyed his political capital and reputation, but he should not be allowed to damage Pakistan's international political capital and reputation," said PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif.
Meanwhile, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said "puppet" prime minister Imran Khan was responsible for the whole economic crisis in Pakistan. It is said quite openly in Pakistan that Khan could become the prime minister thanks to the support from the army. And this led to the coinage of the term "hybrid government". The army had allegedly rigged the 2018 elections to make a way for Khan. So, he is often called puppet prime minister.
Opposition parties have been lashing out at Khan for high inflation, unemployment and rising terrorism in Pakistan. "The people have been compelled to send Imran Khan home because this illegitimate, incapable and incompetent selected have robbed the people," Zardari said.
Moreover, Khan can be struggling to get Pakistan out of the "grey list" of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as well as improve the country's financial situation. Recently Khan agreed that he failed to fulfil the promises he made to the people of Pakistan but he deflected blame to the system.
The opposition has moved the no-trust motion that says "The leader of the House has lost the confidence of this House. There is political instability and uncertainty in the country and the foreign policy has totally failed." It has provoked Khan to threaten the opposition of negative consequences. "Are you ready for what I will do with you once your plans for a no-trust motion fail?" he warned.
However, Khan appears to be losing the ground as many people from his camp are joining the opposition group to oust him. After a PTI leader Jahangir Khan shook hands with the opposition, Khan's close friend Aleem Khan, joined the dissidents club.
The future path seems quite difficult for Khan as he will be removed as prime minister if the no-trust motion is passed. And to make the matter worse, Pakistan's powerful army does not seem to be standing behind Khan in these troubled times. The opposition has been highlighting the Khan-army nexus time and again. However, Khan is said to have fallen out of the army's favour now.
The army is not likely to come to Khan's rescue once its protege. In such a scenario, the ongoing tussle between Khan and the opposition becomes very important for Pakistan as it may see the end of Khan's career.