Ousted Khan repeats call for early elections amid economic crisis

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan is refusing to accept defeat after a noconfidence vote last month.

On Tuesday, he repeated claims that he was ousted in a foreign-backed plot, and called for early elections.

Mr Khan’s four-year term in office ended on April 10, when he lost a no-confidence vote in parliament. Shehbaz Sharif, a former chief minister of Punjab who briefly spent time in exile abroad after a coup in 1999, is now prime minister.

Mr Khan blamed a foreign conspiracy to unseat him in the days before the vote. He has repeated the allegation during rallies and media appearances since Mr Sharif’s appointment.

“A sitting prime minister has been ousted through a conspiracy, therefore all state institutions should look into the matter as it has turned out to be a huge setback for the country,” he said on Pakistani TV channel Geo News.

Last week, Mr Sharif appeared to mount a political counterattack as Mr Khan faced charges of blasphemy, along with 150 other people.

Supporters of the former prime minister were accused of shouting insults at Mr Sharif outside a mosque during his official visit to Saudi Arabia.

The kingdom said several people had been arrested, while Pakistan’s Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said there would be an investigation and “no one will be spared”.

The political row, combined with significant public support for Mr Khan, could threaten a stable transition. The crisis comes amid a worsening economic downturn.

Mr Sharif faces tough talks as he seeks $6 billion in International Monetary Fund support.

Prospects for successful economic reform to overcome ballooning deficits and depleted foreign exchange reserves received a minor boost yesterday when Murtaza Syed, an economist with IMF experience, took over as central bank chief.