Imran Khan campaigns against his removal as Pakistan prime minister

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has urged his supporters to peacefully protest against the new government to pressure them to call early elections.
2 min read
14 April, 2022
Imran Khan addressed a huge gathering in Peshawar on Wednesday [Getty]

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan launched a campaign against his removal from office on Wednesday, urging his supporters to continue to peacefully protest against the new government to pressure them to call early elections.

Khan spoke at a massive rally in Peshawar in northwestern Pakistan in front of thousands of his supporters. He is due to speak at gatherings in Lahore and Karachi later this week.

Khan posted about the Peshawar rally on Wednesday evening on Twitter, urging all Pakistanis to participate “as Pakistan was created as an independent, sovereign state not as a puppet state of foreign powers.”

There have been widespread protests in Pakistan and around the world in support of Khan, in cities such as London and Dubai. 

Khan was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote on Sunday and was replaced by Shehbaz Sharif, the brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif who was sentenced to 10 years on corruption charges.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Khan's political party, continues to protest his removal and boycott political proceedings. According to reports, 123 PTI members of parliament have handed in their resignations. 

Imran Khan had continuously fought against the old guard of established parties, such as Sharif’s PML-N, and before his ouster had blamed foreign powers such as the United States for working with the opposition to remove him from power.