Pakistan PM Calls For Snap Election, Accuses U.S. Of Conspiracy Amid His Outreach To Russia

Pakistan's President Arif Alvi dissolved parliament upon the request of Prime Minister Imran Khan after Deputy Speaker Quasim Suri took a controversial decision to dismiss a motion of no confidence triggering a constitutional crisis.

• Opposition lawmakers were believed to have the numbers to unseat the Prime Minister amid defections within the ruling party and its minor but key coalition partners.
• Local political pundits have linked recent headwinds for the Prime Minister to the loss of support from Pakistan's military establishment, a major force behind his rise to power.
• The decision to block the expected no-confidence vote was announced by the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, who is a member of Khan's party and his known ally.
• In throwing the Prime Minister a lifeline amid attempts to oust him, the Deputy Speaker invoked constitutional provisions on "loyalty to the state," as the government accused opposition lawmakers of facilitating an "international conspiracy."
• Prime Minister Khan blamed the alleged "conspiracy" to topple his government on the United States, an accusation Washington has promptly denied. Khan has not provided evidence to back his claims.
• This rhetoric highlights the geopolitical angle of Pakistan's constitutional crisis, with Khan's administration pursuing closer relations with China and Russia, despite the latter's international isolation.
• Note that Khan visited Moscow for talks with President Putin on February 25, as Russian tanks were rolling into Ukraine. While Khan expressed regret over the outbreak of the "conflict," he refrained from naming the culprit.
• A general election should be held within 90 days following the dissolution of the National Assembly, but whether this will come to fruition depends on impending legal wrestling.
• The opposition petitioned the Supreme Court to review the decision to block a no-confidence motion, with justices set to hear the case on Monday.