Pakistan Tahreek-i-Insaf supporters protest in solidarity with former prime minister Imran Khan, who was ousted by the Opposition that he accuses of conspiring with Washington because of his opposition to US foreign policy.
Pakistan Tahreek-i-Insaf (PTI) supporters took to the streets at Lahore’s Liberty Chowk against the ouster of former prime minister and party chairman Imran Khan.
Khan was ousted by the Opposition through a no-confidence motion on Saturday.
Pakistan became an independent state in 1947; but the freedom struggle begins again today against a foreign conspiracy of regime change. It is always the people of the country who defend their sovereignty & democracy.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 10, 2022
Other demonstrations took place in different parts of the Punjab province, including Faisalabad, Multan, Gujranwala, Vehari, Jehlum, and Gujrat districts.
With his majority gone, Khan accused the opposition of buying support in the assembly with “open horse-trading… selling of lawmakers like goats and sheep”, further accusing them of conspiring with Washington due to his opposition to US foreign policy.
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However, he accepted the motion but was “disappointed with the Supreme Court decision,” adding that he wants to “make it clear that I respect the Supreme Court and Pakistan’s judiciary.”
“Peaceful protest will be carried out throughout the country today. The country stands with Imran Khan!”-@Hammad_Azhar #امپورٹڈ_حکومت_نامنظور pic.twitter.com/vusHTlSYna
— PTI (@PTIofficial) April 10, 2022
In a message on Twitter later in the day, the PTI chairman thanked the protestors and claimed that the agitation signaled Pakistanis’ “rejection of the foreign conspiracy”.
“Thank you to all Pakistanis for their amazing outpouring of support & emotions to protest against US-backed regime change abetted by local Mir Jafars to bring into power a coterie of pliable crooks all out on bail,” Imran wrote.
Thank you to all Pakistanis for their amazing outpouring of support & emotions to protest against US-backed regime change abetted by local Mir Jafars to bring into power a coterie of pliable crooks all out on bail. Shows Pakistanis at home & abroad have emphatically rejected this
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 10, 2022
Khan also acknowledged the spontaneous protests standing with him against the Opposition’s decision. He believes that this “shows Pakistanis at home & abroad have emphatically rejected this.”
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Never have such crowds come out so spontaneously and in such numbers in our history, rejecting the imported govt led by crooks. pic.twitter.com/YWrvD1u8MM
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 10, 2022
The Supreme Court ordered on Thursday that the court session be convened after it found that Khan acted illegally by dissolving parliament and calling for fresh elections following the prevention of an earlier no-confidence vote by the deputy speaker of the national assembly.
A new prime minister will be appointed today, with centrist Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif already picked to lead the nuclear-armed country of 220 million people.
Featured image: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s supporters demonstrate against his ousting.
