Pakistan’s Former PM Imran Khan Hints at Returning to Parliament

(Bloomberg) -- Pakistan’s opposition leader Imran Khan has hinted at returning to the parliament after nine months of street protests that couldn’t force Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to call early elections.

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Khan plans to put the prime minister to “test” by asking Sharif to take a vote of confidence in parliament through ally President Arif Alvi, he told reporters in Lahore, Dawn newspaper reported. Khan who was disqualified as a lawmaker in October for not disclosing his assets can return to the parliament based on seats secured in by-elections since then, Khan’s lawyer Gohar Ali Khan said by phone.

Khan believes the multi-party ruling coalition led by Sharif’s Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, which ousted him from power through a no-confidence vote in April, is splitting after Karachi’s biggest ethnic party, Muttahida Qaumi Movement, did not participate in Karachi by-elections, hinting at quitting the government. The party, however, later said it will support Sharif as the premier even if it resigns from his cabinet. Khan’s party had announced to resign from parliament a day after he was ousted from power.

The former cricket star’s ally last week dissolved the state legislature in the nation’s biggest province Punjab in a bid to force the government to call early national polls. Khan has said his party will dissolve the assembly of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province as well this week. Sharif has said elections will be held on time in October.

Pakistan’s Ruling Coalition Party Upsets Khan in Karachi Vote

Khan’s moves have added to woes for the South Asian nation that is facing an economic crisis amid a delay in its loan installment from the International Monetary Fund and dollar reserves dropping to cover less than one month of imports. Pakistan’s benchmark KSE-100 Index fell 3.5% to the lowest in more than two years.

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