Pakistan was being dominated by “traitors” placed by a “foreign conspiracy” organized in the United States, according to the ousted Pakistani Prime Minister.

Khan was speaking early Thursday in Islamabad, the country’s capital, at what he described as the “largest-ever protest” in the country’s history after demonstrators battled with police forces and he was forced to call off the event.

But there was a catch: his announcement came with a warning: “I’m giving this newly installed administration six days to call new elections. Otherwise, I’ll return to Islamabad with a population of 2 million people.”

The crowd erupted in rapturous applause and screams of fury against the US and the current Pakistani regime.

Khan’s assertions of a US-led plot against him have been a feature of his rallies across Pakistan in an attempt to reclaim power following his dismissal in a legislative no-confidence vote on April 10.

The assertions have resonated with a young populace in a country where anti-American attitude is widespread and anti-establishment sentiment is driven by growing living costs.

However, Khan’s detractors believe that there is a flaw in his claims: there is no evidence of a conspiracy.

Both the US and Pakistan’s military have categorically disputed Khan’s claims, and the former Prime Minister has declined to provide any evidence to support them.

“Imran Khan is trying to tap into anti-American sentiments to mobilize support,” said Maleeha Lodhi, a former Pakistani ambassador to the US and the United Nations. Khan’s “loyal band of supporters [are] ready to discard facts and believe his foreign conspiracy narrative even though there isn’t a shred of evidence to support it.”

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The opposition accused Mr. Khan of manipulating the public to try to remain in power.

Most commentators think Mr. Khan is misrepresenting the contents of a diplomatic cable issued by the Pakistani ambassador in Washington, which supposedly warned of “consequences” if Mr. Khan stayed in power.

However, the narrative is resonating with Mr. Khan’s supporters, many of whom chanted, “whoever is a friend of America, is a traitor”, at the protests.

Supporters chanted “we’ve decided we won’t live a life of slaves,” said one protester. “These people are all thieves and hopefully they’ll all go to jail,” he added, referring to Mr. Khan’s opponents.

There were also rumors that a rift emerged between Mr. Khan and the powerful Pakistan Army last year.

Defecting members of Imran Khan’s party have described the army’s role as “neutral” – it seems clear, however, that even if not actively involved in his downfall, the military is content to see Imran Khan out of office.

Many critics of Imran Khan, who have been harassed by the intelligence agencies for criticizing the army’s backing for his administration, have observed his supporters’ abrupt shift in attitude.

Some questioned the hypocrisy, considering their previous adulation for the army, while others applauded the apparent renewed confidence in civilian dominance.

A guy puts up a banner that reads “How many Vigos can you bring?” in one photo that has gone viral, alluding to a pick-up truck that has been used by members of the intelligence services to jail protestors.

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Imran Khan was ousted on Sunday with a vote of no confidence due to economic mishandling. He tried to call for snap elections and dissolve the parliament but was blocked by the Supreme Court. His actions we cited as unconstitutional and allowed the voting to proceed.

Shehbaz Sharif is named the 23rd Prime Minister of Pakistan on Monday. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party led by Mr. Khan boycotted the parliamentary vote and staged a walkout.

Shehbaz Sharif has always been overshadowed by his older brother, Nawaz Sharif, who was Prime Minister of Pakistan three times. He, on the other hand, has advocated for reconciliation with the “establishment,” whilst Nawaz has publicly criticized the army since his expulsion from office.

Shehbaz, like his brother, has been accused of corruption and spent time in jail under Mr. Khan’s presidency. He has never been charged with a crime and believes the claims are politically motivated. Hamza Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif’s son, wants to follow in his father’s footsteps and become Punjab’s next chief minister.

The Sharif clan is seen by Imran Khan’s followers as part of the dynastic, “old Pakistan” that they want to be forgotten.

Shehbaz Sharif submitted his candidacy for the top post on Sunday, before winning 174 votes in parliament the following day – two more than a simple majority of lawmakers.

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Pakistan’s Premier Imran Khan has been deposed as the country’s leader following a vote of no confidence over allegations of economic mismanagement and mismanagement of the country’s foreign policy, bringing an end to his turbulent tenure. The former cricket star was defeated in a parliamentary vote held on Sunday. To depose him, the opposition needed a minimum of 172 votes from the 342-member assembly. A coalition of politicians, including more than a dozen defectors from Khan’s own political party, supported the vote of no confidence.

The vote came after Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that a previous vote of no confidence against Khan over allegations of economic mismanagement was unconstitutional. The Supreme Court also declared Khan’s earlier order to dissolve parliament and call for early elections to have “no legal effect” in its decision. The speaker of the National Assembly will now send Khan a notice calling for a new session of parliament to elect a new prime minister. In a Friday night address to the nation, Khan repeated unverified claims that the vote of no confidence was the result of a “foreign conspiracy” linked to the US. Following a vote of confidence, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan was deposed as the country’s leader.

Rise to Power

Since Khan came to power in 2018 following an election marred by allegations of vote-rigging and foul play, Pakistan’s main opposition parties have been rallying for his ouster. More recently, he has been dogged by accusations of fiscal negligence as his government battles depleting foreign exchange reserves and double-digit inflation, with the cost of necessities like food and fuel skyrocketing. According to Reuters, the Pakistani rupee hit an all-time low on Thursday. Khan’s response has been to reiterate his claims that the US is fueling opposition to him.

The allegations

His failure to collaborate with his allies and the military caused a schism within his coalition government. As public dissatisfaction with his leadership grew, the opposition introduced a motion in parliament calling for a vote of no confidence. They had urged Khan to resign before the election. Instead, Khan called for an early election last Sunday in a dramatic attempt to cling to power after the deputy speaker of parliament blocked a vote of no confidence against him that appeared to be on the verge of passing. The move, as well as Khan’s subsequent dissolution of parliament, infuriated an opposition that had been calling for his ouster for months. Khan’s removal comes just four years into his presidency, and there are now fears that it will increase the risk of political instability in the South Asian nation.

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Today, the vote was held for a 342 member assembly and 172 were needed to win on either side. An alliance of politicians against him was backed up by more than a dozen defectors from his own party.

There was a previous vote of no confidence against Imran Khan but was blocked by the Supreme Court last Thursday. It was cited as something “unconstitutional”. Also, Khan made an order earlier to dissolve the parliament and call for early elections. This was again blocked by the Supreme Court saying that it has “no legal effect”.

The speaker of the National Assembly will now send a notice to Khan and call for a fresh session of parliament to elect a new prime minister.

Khan said last Friday that this move was a foreign conspiracy that is backed by the United States. Khan said he had been singled out by the US because, unlike his opponents, he couldn’t “easily be used as a puppet by the West,” with regard to an independent foreign policy. He said he was not anti-American but would not let his nation “be used as a tissue paper” in a “one-sided relationship.”

After the results, he called for a nationwide protest in an attempt to “install” a new government by “foreign powers”.

The US Department issued a statement saying that there is no truth to the former Prime Minister’s claim. “We are closely following developments in Pakistan, and we respect, we support Pakistan’s constitutional process and the rule of law, but when it comes to those allegations, there is no truth to them,” the statement said.

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