*Pakistan’s prime minister Imran Khan *is facing a vote of no confidencewhich is expected to force him from office.link* But as Secunder Kermanireports, it’s unlikely to be the end of his political career.*
At his barber shop in a middle-class neighbourhood in Islamabad,32-year-old Mujahid Ali, dressed in a beige, traditional shalwar kameez,won’t be sorry to see Imran Khan ousted from office.
“I haven’t enjoyed his time,” he says ruefully.
The former cricketer turned politician won in this constituency in 2018.Mujahid voted for him, hoping he could deliver change as a new, third forcein Pakistan’s politics, which has long been dominated by two rivalestablished political dynasties. But now he blames Mr Khan’s PakistanTehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party for the rising cost of living.
“You work all day and earn 500 rupees ($2.70; £2.06),” he tells the BBC.”But now a kilogram of butter costs 500 rupees. Before it was 180.”[image: Mujahid Ali at work in his Islamabad barber shop.]
Islamabad barber Mujahid Ali voted for Khan, but won’t be sorry to see himgo
Khan’s likely replacement as prime minister would be Shehbaz Sharif. Hisbrother is Nawaz Sharif, link athree-time serving prime minister now convicted on corruption charges whichhe has always regarded as politically motivated.
Shehbaz too has faced allegations, which he denies, but Mujahid says thatdoesn’t put him off: “They might be corrupt, but at least they help poorpeople.”
Waiting for a haircut is 27-year old Ali Malik, a junior accountant. He toovoted for Mr Khan in 2018, but remains supportive of him. “We have toendure this hard time,” he says of the economic situation. “Imran Khan hastaken a stance and we should stand with him.”
Mr Khan has been a staunch campaigner against corruption, and has accusedopposition parties of paying off members of parliament to vote against him,an allegation they deny.
The rising cost of living is a complaint of nearly all the voters we speakto at a handful of markets across the constituency. At the barber shop, theowner begins striking his head with palms of his hands in frustration. “Thepoor of this country have been ruined,” he shouts emotionally.
Some, like him, dismiss Mr Khan as “incompetent,” but others, such ashousewives Iram and Noreen, browsing at a stall selling hairbands, accepthis justification that prices have risen across the world following thecoronavirus pandemic.
“It’s everywhere, not just Pakistan,” they say, though another friendaccompanying them disagrees.[image: Iram and Noreen shop in an Islamabad market]
Iram and Noren say the rising cost of living is not the fault of the primeminister
The truth is, price rises have been significantly sharper in Pakistan thanin most of its neighbours. Yet however disgruntled many may be with MrKhan’s policies, the move to oust him is not based on a sudden wave ofpopular sentiment. It’s down to elite political manoeuvring.
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Mr Khan is widely regarded as having come to power with the help ofPakistan’s army, but now observers say they have fallen out. His politicalopponents are seizing the opportunity to strike whilst he’s weak,persuading a number of his coalition partners to defect to them.
Mr Khan has a different, more outlandish explanation for his politicaltroubles. He says he’s the victim of an international conspiracy attemptingto bring about “regime change” in Pakistan.
He claims US officials warned Pakistani diplomats he would need to beremoved from power because of his foreign policy decisions, such asrecently visiting Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin and his previouscriticism of America’s “War on Terror”. Opposition politicians ridicule theallegation, and the US has denied there is any truth to it.[image: Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, pictured in 2019]EPA/T. MUGHAL
Khan claims he’s the victim of an international conspiracy attempting tobring about “regime change” in Pakistan
It appears Mr Khan is attempting build a populist, anti-Western narrativeand many of his most ardent followers appear to be buying into it.
Sohail Akhtar, a 25-year-old working in marketing, is sitting at a plastictable in a small open-air restaurant smiling and chatting with a group offriends. All voted for Mr Khan in 2018, and all remain loyal to him. “Iwanted Pakistan to be respected on the world stage,” he says. “And nowthat’s happened.”
“Look out how he has spoken out against Islamophobia,” chimes in Mohammad,a civil servant. “Before we used to be like slaves.”
When talk turns to the Pakistani military’s stance on Mr Khan and whetherthey’re really responsible for his change in fortunes, there’s a slighthesitation amongst the group at the restaurant.
Until recently, Imran Khan proudly proclaimed he and the army were on “thesame page,” and many of his followers view themselves as “patriots” whofirmly back the military.
“Well you can’t form a government without their support,” admits25-year-old Shafqat, but he remains convinced of the internationalconspiracy Mr Khan has talked about. He and his friends say they all planon attending a rally close to parliament on the day of the vote of noconfidence.
No Pakistani prime minister has ever completed their full five-year term,and it looks likely Mr Khan won’t either.
However, whilst, the poor state of the economy has undoubtedly diminishedhis popularity, Mr Khan looks set to remain a formidable force in thecountry’s politics.
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