Khan’s party exits Pakistan assemblies

ISLAMABAD — Pakistan’s former premier Imran Khan said Saturday that his party was quitting the country’s regional and national assemblies, as he made his first public appearance since being shot earlier this month.

Khan, a former cricket star turned politician, was ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament in April. He is now in the opposition and has been demanding early elections, claiming his ouster was illegal and orchestrated by Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, with the U.S. government’s help.

Sharif and Washington have dismissed the allegations and the current government says the next polls will be held as scheduled in 2023.

Khan launched a protest march late last month from the eastern city of Lahore toward Islamabad as part of his campaign for early polls, but stepped down from personally leading the convoy after he was wounded by a gunman who opened fire at his vehicle.

Khan rejoined the protest march Saturday night in Rawalpindi city near Islamabad.

He told tens of thousands of supporters that his Tehreek-e-Insaf party was leaving all regional and national assemblies and getting out of this “corrupt system.”

Toward the end of his speech, he did a U-turn on his demand for snap elections, saying his party would win the polls scheduled for nine months time. He also said he would no longer march on the capital.

He said he will meet his chief ministers and parliamentary party and announce the timing of the exit.

(AP/Anjum Naveed) Pakistan police commandos stand guard on a rooftop while they observe the area to ensure the security of the rally of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s “Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf” party Saturday in Rawalpindi, Pakistan.