Pakistan’s Freedom Struggle Begins Again, Says Ousted PM Imran Khan

Islamabad: Even after being ousted as Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan is sticking to his theory of a ‘foreign conspiracy’ being responsible for toppling his government.

In his first comment post losing the no-trust vote in the early hours of Sunday, Imran said ‘freedom struggle’ has begun afresh in Pakistan.

“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 tweeted.

The former Pakistan cricket captain and World Cup winner earned the dubious distinction of being the country’s first premier to lose the trust of Parliament following high drama in Islamabad.

Imran and fellow-members of his PTI party were not present when voting took place well past midnight. A total of 174 members of National Assembly in the 342-seat parliament voted in favour of the motion –two more than the required simple majority.

Imran’s successor is expected to be elected and sworn in on Monday.

The Opposition nominated Shehbaz Sharif, brother of disgraced former PM Nawaz Sharif, as the next premier of Pakistan.

Imran’s nominee for Prime Minister, on the other hand, is Foreign minister in the outgoing Cabinet Shah Mahmood Qureshi.