Pakistan’s new administration to work hard to regain people’s trust: Analysts

Political analysts say the new administration in Pakistan will need to work hard to regain the trust of the people. This follows the ousting of Prime Minister Imran Khan in a motion of no confidence.

Khan is the first leader to be booted out by a motion in the South Asian country. He had clung to power for almost a week after a united opposition first tried to remove him.

A show of force as supporters of the ousted Prime Minister Imran Khan demonstrated in Islamabad, Lahore, and other major cities. Khan’s government fell on Sunday after the opposition secured 174 votes in the 342 member house for the vote of no-confidence motion.

He is accused of failing to revive the economy, battered by COVID-19, and not tackling the scourge of corruption. Khan rejected these claims and blamed the US for his downfall.

“174 members have recorded their votes in favour of the resolution. Consequently, the resolution of vote of no confidence against Mr. Imran Khan the prime minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan has been passed by a majority of the total membership of the national assembly,” said Pakistan Lower House speaker, Ayaz Sadiq.

Khan antagonised the United States during his tenure. He welcomed the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan last year. And more recently, he paid a visit to Russian President Vladimir Putin in an attempt to mediate the Ukraine-Russia conflict. The US has dismissed the claim that it is behind Khan’s removal.

Political Analyst, Amir Zia says Pakistan is facing a myriad of challenges. “The first challenge of Pakistan, that’s how to manage the economy. Pakistan’s economy is in really bad shape. We see a huge credit deficit, we see there has been an erosion of foreign exchange reserves, and the rupee is tumbling down. The energy sector crisis is intensifying. So, this government ideally should take some unpopular decisions to fix the economy.”

Zia says the new Prime Minister must make amends with the international community. “They want good relations with western countries, but at the same time, there is a lot of resentment on the streets of Pakistan because of the kind of narrative that Imran Khan has built. So, their immediate challenge is how to revive those relations and again they have to perform a high wire act to balance the relations with China and Russia as well.”

No Prime Minister has completed a full term since independence in Pakistan in 1947, although Khan is the first to be removed through a motion of no confidence.