Asia
Palestinians strive to expand local wheat yield amid import crisis
Facing a mounting wheat crisis, a government-run Seed Bank in West Bank has been racing against the clock to provide hundreds of local farmers with tons of improved wheat seeds in hope of greater yields.
The Palestinian territories have been suffering from a shortage of supply and soaring local wheat and flour prices, both the main source of imports, since the outbreak of Russia-Ukraine conflict two months ago.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the Palestinians depend entirely on the imports of wheat both in terms of food and animal feed, with 35,000 to 40,000 tons of imports annually to cover the demand of each.
"Every country in the world has its own (food) stock. But the Palestinians do not have that 'luxury'," Sameh Jarrar, the director of the Plant Genetic Resources Department in the Seed Bank at the Ministry of Agriculture, told Xinhua.
Jarrar added that Palestinians have been making every effort to garner sufficient local alternatives to food imports in case the conflict would not end soon.
Also Read: Russia-Ukraine war not to trigger food crisis in Bangladesh: Razzaque
The Seed Bank was established by the ministry in the 1980s under the supervision of a local advocacy group, where a total of 2,000 varieties of wild and domestic seeds are stored to preserve the genetic resources of indigenous plants in the Palestinian territories against the risk of extinction in climate change.
"We rely on two sources to store these seeds: the first is internal, and it is usually collected by the original wheat seeds through a work team affiliated with the ministry, and an external source obtained from international and Arab institutions," Jarrar said.
What distinguishes those improved varieties in the bank is that they can better withstand the varying climates and can germinate as quickly as possible, which would help narrow the shortage gaps, he added.
Researchers would work with local farmers to grow the varieties in test fields on promoting yields, climate resilience, and genetic diversity, according to Mohammed Abed, director of the 750,00-hectare Beit Qad Experimental Station for field crops.
Wheat, barley, and legumes are the main produce of the government-run test fields.
"We carry out the preservation by planting the varieties annually, multiplying them and renewing the bank from time to time," Abed said.
"We annually provide some 50 tons of improved seeds to farmers, who world cultivate them and put the yield on sale in local markets," he said.
Also Read: UN rings alarm over food crisis in Central American Dry Corridor
However, things do not seem easy primarily because "Israel controls much of the arable Palestinian lands in the West Bank and has imposed restrictions on Palestinian farmers' access to the lands," according to Ahmed Rabaia, a local agricultural expert.
"In 2010, there were about 25,000 dunams (2,500 hectares) producing about 45,000 tons, which constituted between 10 to 15 percent of consumption. Due to Israeli violations, we have only 18,000 dunams left and those produce only about 30,000 tons, and this amount constitutes between five to six percent of consumption," Rabaia added.
"At a time when we do not know when the Russia-Ukraine conflict will end, it is necessary to search for other sources such as Egypt, Canada, and Australia to reduce the risks that we may be exposed to in the future in order to obtain wheat at low prices that do not affect the Palestinian consumers," he explained.
PTI announces mass resignations from National Assembly
The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf on Monday decided to resign from the National Assembly, minutes before the election for the new prime minister is scheduled to place.
The decision was taken in a party's parliamentary meeting, which was chaired by PTI Chairman Imran Khan, at the Parliament House today afternoon, reports Dwan.
"The parliamentary party has decided to resign from the assemblies against the imported government," PTI Central Information Secretary Farrukh Habib confirmed in a tweet.
Immediately after the announcement, Murad Saeed tendered his resignation as member of the NA — the first from the party.
Read: Pakistani lawmakers to elect new PM after Imran Khan ouster
Speaking to DawnNewsTV shortly afterwards, he confirmed that he made the decision in line with the party's narrative. He reiterated the former prime minister's claims of a foreign conspiracy, stating that sitting in the NA after these revelations would be akin to be being a part of this plot.
"Should foreign powers have the right to make or break governments in Pakistan?" he asked.
Saeed also highlighted the charges against the opposition's candidate for prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif. "They were and are corrupt," he added.
Former maritime affairs minister Ali Haider Zaidi also followed suit, announcing his resignation on Twitter. He said he had submitted his resignation to the party chairman.
"No way we should legitimise this foreign-funded regime change in Pakistan. The battle for the sovereignty of Pakistan will now be decided on the streets by the people, not the these looters," he said.
Former minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur also shared a photo of his resignation on the party's letterhead.
"I am proud to be a follower of Imran Khan and will fight till my death for the freedom of Pakistan and parliament," he said.
PTI leaders Shireen Mazari, Hammad Azhar, and Shafaqt Mahmood shared their resignations on Twitter too.
Yesterday, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry had said that the decision to resign was tied to the acceptance of PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif's nomination papers for prime minister's elections, to which the PTI had raised objections.
He said it was a "great injustice" that Shehbaz would be contesting the election for the prime minister on the same day he is to be indicted in a money laundering case.
Read: Pakistan's PM vows to fight on after Parliament ousts him
"What can be more insulting for Pakistan that a foreign selected and foreign imported government is imposed on it and a person like Shehbaz is made its head," he rued.
It is pertinent to mention that a special court (Central-I) of the Federal Investigation Agency was to indict Shehbaz and his son, Hamza, in a Rs14 billion money laundering case today but the court deferred the indictment.
Pakistani lawmakers to elect new PM after Imran Khan ouster
Pakistani lawmakers are to choose a new prime minister on Monday, capping a tumultuous week of political drama that saw the ouster of Imran Khan as premier and a constitutional crisis narrowly averted after the country’s top court stepped in.
The leading contender is Shahbaz Sharif, opposition lawmaker and a brother of disgraced former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. But his election will not guarantee a clear path forward — or solve Pakistan’s many economic problems, including high inflation and a soaring energy crisis.
Khan, a former cricket star whose conservative Islamist ideology and dogged independence characterized his three years and eight months in office, was ousted early Sunday after losing a no-confidence vote in Parliament. Deserted by his party allies and a key coalition partner, his opposition pushed Khan out with 174 votes — two more than the required simple majority in the 342-seat National Assembly.
The opposition has selected Shahbaz Sharif as its candidate for prime minister, claiming it has enough votes in his favor.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or Pakistan Justice Party, has put forward former foreign minister and seasoned politician Shah Mahmood Qureshi as its candidate. But Qureshi on Sunday muddied the waters by saying that many lawmakers in Khan’s party were contemplating resigning from Parliament after Monday’s vote for prime minister.
In a show of strength and precursor to the political uncertainty ahead, Khan rallied hundreds of thousands of supporters late Sunday to protest his ouster, and describing the next government as an “imposed government.” In cities across Pakistan, Khan’s supporters marched, waving large party flags and vowing support. The youth, who make up the backbone of Khan’s supporters, dominated the crowds.
Some were crying, others shouting slogans promising Khan’s return.
Khan has also demanded early elections, though the balloting is not due before August 2023. He has tapped into anti-American sentiment in Pakistan, accusing Washington of conspiring with his opponents to topple him. His conspiracy theory resonates with his young support base, which often sees Washington’s post 9/11 war on terror as unfairly targeting Pakistan.
Pakistan parliament to vote in new PM after Imran Khan ousted
Pakistan's parliament will select a new prime minister on Monday, after Imran Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in the early hours of Sunday.
Shahbaz Sharif - the leader of an opposition coalition who worked to depose Mr Khan - is widely expected to win a majority of the votes, reports BBC.
The parliament is due to vote around 14:00 local time (09:00GMT).
Mr Khan, 69, was voted out after days of political drama and Supreme Court intervention.
He had attempted to block a previous attempt to bring a no-confidence motion against him by dissolving parliament and calling for a snap election.
However, the country's Supreme Court upheld an opposition petition that his actions were unconstitutional and ordered the no-confidence vote to go ahead.
Also read: Pakistan's PM vows to fight on after Parliament ousts him
What do we know about Shahbaz Sharif?
Mr Sharif, 70, served as chief minister of Punjab, Pakistan's most populous province, prior to Imran Khan coming to power in 2018. Mr Sharif, who leads the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PMLN), had a reputation for efficiency and being hardworking, and is credited with making significant infrastructure improvements.
Many ruefully contrasted him with his successor, Usman Buzdar, who was widely ridiculed as under-qualified and incompetent. Anger at Imran Khan's refusal to replace Mr Buzdar is one reason cited by numerous analysts for the emergence of a rift between Mr Khan and his previously close ally, the Pakistani military.
Shahbaz Sharif has always been in the shadow of his older brother, Nawaz Sharif, who served as PM on three occasions. Whereas Nawaz openly criticised the army following his removal from power, however, Shahbaz has favoured a reconciliation with the "establishment".
Like his brother, Shahbaz has also faced corruption allegations and has spent periods of time in jail during Mr Khan's tenure. He has not been convicted of an offence and maintains the allegations are politically motivated. Shahbaz Sharif's son, Hamza, is hoping to follow in his father's footsteps and become the next chief minister of Punjab.
Imran Khan's supporters regard the Sharif clan as part of the dynastic, "old Pakistan" that they want to relegate to history.
Shahbaz Sharif submitted his candidacy for the top post on Sunday and is widely tipped to have the numbers to ensure victory.
Other opposition leaders - like Bilawal Bhutto Zardari of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) - have already indicated their support for him.
On Sunday, Mr Sharif heralded "a new dawn" for Pakistan following the vote.
However, Imran Khan, whose supporters protested across major cities after he was dismissed, is still blaming a "foreign conspiracy" for his removal as prime minister.
He has claimed, without evidence, that his rivals had colluded with the US to remove him because of his foreign policy stance on Afghanistan, Russia and China. Washington has strongly denied this. But the former international cricketer's claims fed on anti-American sentiment held by many of his supporters.
He tweeted that the crowds seen were some of the largest in Pakistan's history - a claim that has not been not independently verified.
Also read:Pakistan’s embattled PM ousted in no-confidence vote
How was Imran Khan ousted?
Mr Khan's opponents saw an opportunity to strike after months of discontent over his management of the economy, and a breakdown in his relations with Pakistan's powerful military.
Mr Sharif banded together with other opposition lawmakers to muster the numbers to vote Mr Khan out.
On April 3, they challenged Mr Khan outright in parliament - launching a motion for a vote of no confidence in his leadership.
But the deputy speaker of the parliament - a political ally of Mr Khan's - blocked the motion, claiming it was influenced by foreign powers. His government then swiftly dissolved parliament and called for a snap election.
The furious opposition immediately challenged the legality of government actions in the Supreme Court. After a four-day hearing, it ruled that Mr Khan's government had acted illegally, in breach of the constitution.
Even then, Mr Khan and his party tried to prevent the vote in parliament for hours - with officials quitting, lawmakers filibustering and other disruptions.
But eventually, in the early hours of Sunday, his opponents secured his removal, with 174 lawmakers voting against him in the 342-member house.
China closes Guangzhou to most arrivals as outbreak spreads
The manufacturing hub of Guangzhou closed itself to most arrivals Monday as China battles a major COVID-19 surge in its big eastern cities.
Shanghai has taken the brunt of the surge, with another 26,087 cases announced on Monday, only 914 of which showed symptoms. The city of 26 million is under a tight lockdown, with many residents confined to their homes for up to three weeks.
No such lockdown has yet been announced for Guangzhou, a metropolis of 18 million northwest of Hong Kong that is home to many top companies and China's busiest airport. Just 27 cases were reported in the city on Monday.
Also read:COVID outbreak 'extremely grim' as Shanghai extends lockdown
However, primary and middle schools have been switched to online after an initial 23 local infections were detected last week. An exhibition center was being converted into a makeshift hospital after authorities said earlier they would begin citywide mass testing.
Only citizens with a “definite need" to leave Guangzhou can do so, and only if they test negative for the virus within 48 hours of departure, city spokesperson Chen Bin said in a social media announcement.
China has stuck to its “zero-COVID” strategy of handling outbreaks with strict isolation and mass testing, despite complaints in Shanghai over shortages of food and medical services.
China's government and the entirely state-controlled media are growing increasingly defensive about complaints over the COVID-19 prevention measures, censoring content online and rebuking foreign critics.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian on Sunday said China had “lodged solemn representations with the U.S." after the State Department advised Americans to reconsider traveling to China due to “arbitrary enforcement” of local laws and COVID-19 restrictions, particularly in Hong Kong, Jilin province and Shanghai. U.S. officials cited a risk of “parents and children being separated.”
China was “strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed to the U.S. side’s groundless accusation against China’s epidemic response,” Zhao said.
Despite that, and indications the hardline policy is being dictated by head of the ruling Communist Party Xi Jinping, China has rejected any notion that its response is political in nature. Xi has demanded social stability above all else in the runup to a key party congress later this year at which he is expected to bestow on himself an unprecedented third-term as party leader.
The English-language China Daily acknowledged that Shanghai's measures are “far from perfect," and pointed to the firing last week of three local officials for failing in their duties. But it said that shouldn't become an “excuse to politicize the event and blame China.”
Despite the large number of cases, no new deaths have been reported in the Shanghai wave, possibly because the omicron variant is less deadly than older variants.
Also read: China urges int'l community to do more for Mali's peace, stability
City authorities also say they have secured daily supplies for residents, following complaints about deliveries of food and other necessities.
Residents have resorted to group buying of groceries because they are not allowed to leave their buildings, with only partial success in obtaining needed items.
The capital Beijing has seen relatively few restrictions, although the Erjiefang neighborhood including the famed 798 art district has been cordoned off and classified as high risk after eight infections were reported there over the past two weeks.
China is facing one of its worst local outbreaks since the pandemic began. China is still mostly closed to international travel, even as most of the world has sought ways to live with the virus.
India extends COVID-19 boosters to all adults; some must pay
India began offering booster doses of COVID-19 vaccine to all adults on Sunday but limited free shots at government centers to front-line workers and people over age 60.
The doses, which India is calling a “precautionary” shot instead of a booster, are available to people nine months after they receive their second jab, the Health Ministry said in a statement Friday. Those outside the two priority categories will need to pay for the shots at privately run facilities, the ministry said.
Also read: India soldier killed, 4 workers injured in Kashmir attacks
Unlike other countries, where many people receive a different vaccine as a booster, most Indians have received the same type — in most cases the AstraZeneca vaccine produced by India’s Serum Institute, the world’s largest vaccine maker. It accounts for nearly 90% of all doses that have been administered in India, even though emergency approvals have been given for eight vaccines.
On Saturday, the Serum Institute of India said it has cut the price of its AstraZeneca vaccine from $7.90 a dose to $2.96 for private hospitals.
India has so far vaccinated about 96% of those aged 15 years and older with at least one COVID-19 vaccine dose, while about 83% have received both shots, according to official data.
India’s booster program started in January when healthcare and front-line workers along with people over age 60 with health problems were allowed to receive shots.
Also read: Nepal-India cross-border railway to resume service
India has recorded a steep decline in coronavirus cases in recent weeks, with the Health Ministry reporting 1,054 cases in the latest 24 hours.
Pakistan's PM vows to fight on after Parliament ousts him
The ouster of Prime Minister Imran Khan in a parliamentary no-confidence vote early Sunday set Pakistan on an uncertain political path, with Khan calling on supporters to take to the streets in protest and the political opposition preparing to install his replacement.
Khan was brought down after a day of drama and often vitriolic remarks. His supporters accused Washington of orchestrating his ouster and his party walked out of Parliament shortly before the vote. In the end, 174 lawmakers in the 342-seat Parliament voted to depose him, two more than the required simple majority.
Khan’s successor is to be elected and sworn in by Parliament on Monday. The leading contender is Shahbaz Sharif, a brother of disgraced former prime minister Nawaz Sharif.
Shahbaz Sharif heads the largest party in a diverse alliance of opposition factions that span the spectrum from the left to radically religious. Khan's nominee for prime minister will be his foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
Khan's ouster comes amid his cooling relations with the powerful military and an economy struggling with high inflation and a plummeting Pakistani rupee. The opposition has charged Khan’s government with economic mismanagement.
Khan has claimed the U.S. worked behind the scenes to bring him down, purportedly because of Washington's displeasure over his independent foreign policy choices, which often favor China and Russia. He has occasionally defied America and stridently criticized America's post 9/11 war on terror. Khan said America was deeply disturbed by his visit to Russia and his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Feb. 24, the start of the devastating war in Ukraine.
The U.S. State Department has denied his allegations.
Elizabeth Threlkeld, a Pakistan expert at the U.S.-based The Stimson Center, said that even as prime minister, Khan often played the role of opposition leader.
"His removal would see him to a role he knows well, armed with a narrative of victimhood from unfounded claims of international interference,” she said. “His base will remain loyal, though I expect both his controversial attempt to remain in power and reduced military backing will lose him less committed supporters.”
Khan would seem to have few options going forward.
General elections are not scheduled before August 2023. Even if the new prime minister favors early elections, this would likely not happen before October. The Pakistan Election Commission, which oversees polls, told the Supreme Court last week it had still to finish re-aligning constituencies in line with the results of a 2017 census before polls could be held.
In the aftermath of Sunday's vote, giant steel containers stacked on top of each other blocked main roads leading to Parliament and to the diplomatic enclave in the capital of Islamabad. Khan has called on his supporters to gather late Sunday, after the end of the daily dawn-to-dusk fast during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.
Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at the Washington-based Wilson Center, predicted a turbulent time ahead for Pakistan.
“Khan’s defeat would also leave Pakistan a bitterly partisan and divided place. He has not only intensified political rivalries, he has also defied and alienated key entities like the Army Chief and Pakistan’s foreign office,” said Kugelman. “It will take time for the country to pick up the pieces, and the coming months will be politically turbulent.”
Sunday's vote capped a week-long constitutional crisis that had mesmerized the nation. It began last Sunday when Khan sought to sidestep the no confidence vote by dissolving Parliament and calling early elections, It was then left to the Supreme Court to sort, eventually ruling to reinstate Parliament and demand the vote be he.
Khan has won international praise for his handling of the COVID pandemic opting for so called "smart lockdowns" where outbreaks occurred rather than countrywide closures that helped protect some industries like the construction sector. His reputation for fighting corruption has brought a record $21 billion in deposits from overseas Pakistanis.
But he has not been able to overcome an increasingly strained relationship with the army, which has ruled Pakistan directly for more than half its 75-year history and indirectly from the sidelines when civilian governments ruled.
Khan's opponents say the army helped him win the 2018 elections after it had fallen out with Nawaz Sharif, who was convicted of corruption after being named in the so-called Panama Papers. These papers are a collection of leaked secret financial documents showing how some of the world’s richest hide their money and involving a global law firm based in Panama.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court disqualified Sharif from holding office. He lives in London in self-imposed exile after being convicted in a Pakistani court of corruption. He was sentenced to 10 years in jail.
Fissures in Khan's relationship with the army began last November after he squabbled with the powerful Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa over the appointment of the new intelligence chief.
Last weekend, Bajwa appeared to distance himself from Khan’s anti-U.S. attacks saying Pakistan wants good relations with Washington, its largest export trading partner and with China. He condemned Russia’s war in Ukraine.
Pressure mounts on Sri Lanka leader to quit as crisis grows
Thousands of Sri Lankans rallied in the country’s main business district and Christian clergy marched in the capital to observe a day of protest on Saturday calling on the debt-ridden nation’s president to resign, as anxiety and anger over shortages simmered.
Protesters carrying national flags and placards, some bemoaning the hardships through songs, blamed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and his administration for mismanaging the crisis. He has remained steadfast in refusing to step down even after most of his Cabinet quit and loyal lawmakers rebelled, narrowing a path for him to seek a way out as his team prepares to negotiate with international lending institutions.
“Go home Rajapaksas" and "We need responsible leadership,” read the placards.
The protest also included a large number of youngsters who had organized themselves through social media and refuse to accept any political leadership. Many carried signs, saying “You messed with the wrong generation!”
The protesters stayed around the president’s office and vowed not to leave until their mission is accomplished.
For months, Sri Lankans have stood in long lines to buy fuel, cooking gas, food and medicines, most of which come from abroad and are paid for in hard currency. The fuel shortage has caused rolling power cuts lasting several hours a day.
The Indian Ocean island nation is on the brink of bankruptcy, saddled with $25 billion foreign debt over the next five years — nearly $7 billion of which is due this year alone — and dwindling foreign reserves. Talks with the International Monetary Fund are expected later this month, and the government had turned to China and India for emergency loans to buy food and fuel.
Much of the anger expressed by weeks of growing protests has been directed at Rajapaksa and his elder brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, who head an influential clan that has been in power for most of the past two decades. Five other family members are lawmakers, three of whom resigned as ministers last Sunday.
READ: Sri Lankan president revokes emergency amid growing protests
Thakshila Jayasinghe, a 35-year-old lawyer who joined the protest, said that she felt sorry for voting for Rajapaksa in the 2019 presidential election. “I wonder what sin I have committed by voting for this president when I see the people suffer," she said.
Reports said that at least four elderly people have died while standing in lines for hours trying to buy cooking gas or kerosene oil.
Jayasinghe said she voted for Rajapaksa believing he was the best candidate to restore national security following the 2019 Easter Sunday bomb attacks that killed more than 260 people. The attacks, blamed on local Muslim militants with ties to the Islamic State group, also shattered the tourism industry, alongside the pandemic, depriving Sri Lanka of hard currency.
At the same time, critics accuse Rajapaksa of borrowing heavily to finance projects that earn no money, such as a port facility built with Chinese loans.
Catholic clergy and lay people joined a rally from the “martyrs cemetery” in Negombo, north of the capital Colombo, where more than 100 people who died in the suicide attacks in the area's St. Sebastian's Church are buried.
They protested the economic crisis as well as the government's alleged failure to uncover the conspirators behind the bombings.
“Today the country needs a major change and a new beginning,” Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith, the archbishop of Colombo, told protesters. “We ask from every citizen of this country to come together and change this system. To get together and tell these people to leave.”
“It’s enough now, it’s enough destroying the country, now leave and hand it over to someone who can govern this country,” he said.
The protest later moved near the Anglican cathedral in Colombo.
The Catholic Church in Sri Lanka has been critical of the investigation into the bombings, citing allegations that some members of the state intelligence units knew and met with at least one of the attackers.
Rajapaksa earlier proposed the creation of a unity government following the Cabinet resignations, but the main opposition party rejected the idea. Parliament has failed to reach a consensus on how to deal with the crisis after nearly 40 governing coalition lawmakers said they would no longer vote according to coalition instructions, significantly weakening the government.
With opposition parties divided, they too have not been able to show majority and take control of Parliament.
Pakistan’s embattled PM ousted in no-confidence vote
Pakistan’s political opposition ousted the country’s embattled prime minister in a no-confidence vote early Sunday, which they won after several of Imran Khan’s allies and a key coalition party deserted him, reports AP from Islamabad.
The combined opposition that spans the political spectrum from the left to the radically religious will form the new government, with the head of one of the largest parties, the Pakistani Muslim League, taking over as prime minister.
Anticipating his loss, Khan, who charged the opposition colluded with the United States to unseat him, has called on his supporters to stage rallies nationwide on Sunday. Khan’s options are limited and should he see a big turnout in his support, he may try to keep the momentum of street protests as a way to pressure Parliament to hold early elections.
Khan earlier had tried to sidestep the vote by dissolving Parliament and calling early elections but a Supreme Court ruling ordered the vote to go ahead.
The vote comes amid cooling relations between Khan and a powerful military who many of his political opponents allege helped him come to power in general elections in 2018. The military has directly ruled Pakistan for more than half of its 75 years and wields considerable power over civilian governments, who worry a disgruntled army could unseat them.
The opposition called for Khan’s ouster charging economic mismanagement as inflation soars and the Pakistani rupee plummets in value. The vote caps months of political turmoil and a constitutional crisis that required the Supreme Court to sort out.
In an impassioned speech Friday, Khan doubled down on his accusations that his opponents colluded with the United States to unseat him over his foreign policy choices, which often seemed to favor China and Russia and defied the U.S.
Khan said Washington opposed his Feb. 24 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin hours after tanks rolled into Ukraine, launching a devastating war in the heart of Europe.
Ahead of the vote his lawmakers addressed Parliament attack a letter Khan said told of a senior U.S. official, who was not named, who informed top Pakistani diplomats that Washington’s relations with Pakistan would improve if Khan was ousted. Human rights minister Shireen Mazari said the memo named Khan and said that if he was out of power “all would be forgiven.”
She went on to ask: “Forgiven for what? What is our sin?”
The U.S. State Department has denied any involvement in Pakistan’s internal politics. Deputy State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter told reporters on Friday there was “absolutely no truth to these allegations.”
Pakistan's embattled PM faces tough no-confidence vote
Pakistan’s embattled prime minister faces a tough no-confidence vote Saturday waged by his political opposition, which says it has the numbers to defeat him.
A combined opposition that stretches the political spectrum from left to radically religious says it has the 172 votes it needs in Pakistan’s 342-seat Parliament to oust Imran Khan after Parliament convenes at 10:30 a.m. local time.
Khan took to national television on the eve of the vote calling on his supporters to take to the streets to protest on Sunday, an indication he believed he would lose the vote, which was ordered by the Supreme Court. The five-member bench on Thursday blocked Khan's bid to stay in power, ruling that his move to dissolve Parliament and call early elections was illegal.
Thursday’s court decision set the stage for a no-confidence vote, likely to go against Khan after several of his ruling party members and a small but key coalition partner defected.
In an impassioned speech Friday, Khan doubled down on his accusations that his opponents colluded with the United States to unseat him over his foreign policy choices, which often seemed to favor China and Russia and defied U.S. criticism.
Khan said Washington opposed his Feb. 24 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin hours after tanks rolled into Ukraine launching a devastating war in the heart of Europe.
The U.S. State Department has denied any involvement in Pakistan’s internal politics. Deputy State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter told reporters on Friday there was “absolutely no truth to these allegations.”
READ: Pakistan's top court blocks PM's move to stay in power
“Of course, we continue to follow these developments and support Pakistan’s constitutional process, but again these allegations are absolutely not true,” she said.
Still Khan urged his supporters, particularly the young who have been the backbone of his support since the former cricket star turned conservative Islamist politician came to power in 2018, to take to the streets. He said they needed to protest to protect Pakistan's sovereignty, against an America that wants to dictate to Pakistan.
“You have to come out to protect your own future. It is you who have to protect your democracy, your sovereignty and your independence ... This is your duty,” he said. “I will not accept an imposed government."
Khan’s options are limited and should he see a big turnout in his support, he may try to keep the momentum of street protests as a way to pressure Parliament to dissolve and go to early elections.
A no-confidence vote loss for Khan on Saturday would bring to power in Pakistan an opposition of unlikely partners.
Among them is a radically religious party that runs scores of religious schools or madrassas. The Jamiat-e-ulema-Islam (JUI) or Assembly of Clerics teaches a deeply conservative brand of Islam in its schools and many of Afghanistan's Taliban and Pakistan's own homegrown violent Taliban members graduated from JUI schools.
The largest among the opposition parties — the Pakistan People’s Party, led by the son of the slain Benazir Bhutto and the Pakistan Muslim League — have been tainted by allegations of widespread corruption.
The Pakistan Muslim League leader and former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif was convicted of corruption after being named in the so-called Panama Papers — a collection of leaked secret financial documents showing how some of the world’s richest hide their money and involving a global law firm based in Panama. He was disqualified by Pakistan’s Supreme Court from holding office.
If the opposition wins the no-confidence vote, it is up to Parliament to choose a new head of government — which could be Sharif’s brother, Shahbaz Sharif. If the lawmakers are unsuccessful, early elections would be called.