‘Black day’: A year after Imran’s ouster, PTI leaders pillory coalition govt

As April 9-10 marks one year since former prime minister Imran Khan was ousted through a vote of no confidence (VONC) moved by the then-opposition, PTI leaders termed the occasion a “black day”, while figures linked to the government celebrated “toppling the one-page regime”.

On Feb 11, 2022, the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) — the incumbent coalition government comprising the PPP, PML-N and the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) — announced moving a no-confidence motion against Imran, which it succeeded in by securing lawmakers from the PTI on their side.

In a National Assembly session that went on for more than 12 hours, the PTI chief’s prime ministerial term came to an end as the opposition’s no-trust motion against him succeeded an hour past midnight on April 10, with 174 members out of the 342 voting in its favour.

Becoming the first premier in Pakistan’s history to be ousted through a VONC, Imran alleged he was ousted through a foreign conspiracy — a claim he has later retracted by saying he “no longer blamed” the United States for it.

The PTI chairman has since launched his “Haqeeqi Azaadi” (real freedom) movement against the coalition government — what he calls a “jihad” against injustice.

In a video address marking one year since his ouster, Imran told his party workers and supporters to be prepared for every kind of scenario and vowed to throng the streets if the government attempted to “run away” from the elections by “dividing the judiciary”.

“We will monitor how things go over the next few days and act accordingly,” he said.

Imran lambasted the federal cabinet for conniving to devise a plan that would create disagreements and division between the Supreme Court judges. Hinting towards the “London Plan”, the former premier accused some people of making decisions behind closed doors, leading the country to the state it was currently in.

Imran said the incumbent government had not yet faced a challenge similar to the havoc wreaked by the coronavirus during his tenure.

“I’m just thinking what if this government had encountered this challenge,” he added. “They would have rushed to lock the entire country down without thinking of the suffering inflicted on the lower class.”

Talking about the downward spiralling economy, the PTI chief highlighted how the value of the rupee had fallen by more than Rs100 since the ouster of his government. “The value of money belonging to the people hiding in London has increased more by Rs100 because their wealth is stashed abroad in dollars,” Imran said.

He said since exports had fallen 10 per cent, more problems will be encountered regarding the supply of the US dollar. “We are taking loans and our debts are rising. Then we have to repay those loans in dollars.”

Imran also shed light on how well the issue of terrorism was handled during the PTI government’s tenure, saying that airlines such as British Airways had resumed their operations and tourism was on the rise.

He said the parliament had become defunct because it was essential for an opposition to be present there for it to function. “Institutions have been destroyed,” Imran added.

“Caretaker governments were formed to be neutral so that they can hold neutral elections but look how they are cracking down on us.”

Meanwhile, the PTI’s official Twitter account shared a detailed Twitter thread, comparing the incumbent government’s achievements with its own and decrying the alleged political victimisation of its party workers.

PTI Secretary General Asad Umar tweeted, “The tale that began a year ago through a regime-change conspiracy has now reached the point of violating the Constitution after [causing] political unrest, economic destruction, worst fascism.”

In a separate tweet, he then criticised the incumbent government for the ongoing financial crisis in the country.

“Never in [the] history of Pakistan has the growth rate reduced by tenfold in a single year as it has done after the regime change conspiracy. Never in history has Pakistan seen the level of inflation as it has seen in [the] last one year.”

Former human rights minister Shireen Mazari — using the social media trend #9thAprilBlackDay like other PTI leaders — tweeted that the “regime-change conspiracy brought cabal of crooks into power after SCP (Supreme Court of Pakistan) took suo motu action against Qasim Suri’s ruling”.

Taking a jibe at the PML-N, she said, “We did not start a campaign against [the] judiciary.

“In one year, imported government & facilitators have destroyed democracy, Constitution and rule of law, and sent [the] economy into freefall,” she added.

PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry also shared his thoughts in a tweet, saying, “One year of Pakistan’s worst fascist junta. The long black night that came a year ago today to end Pakistan’s lights is still imposed.

“The public’s undying struggle is a metaphor for the light against this night. God-willing, this black night will end in a few weeks and the power will transfer to the people,” he vowed.

PTI leader Faisal Javed Khan shared a comparison of the international oil prices and the corresponding fuel prices in Pakistan in April last year during Imran’s tenure and this year.

Indicating an increment in the local fuel prices while the oil prices globally reduced, he termed the difference to be “the cost of corruption, incapability and slavery”.

In a prior rather hopeful message, he shared a screenshot of his tweet from April 9, 2022, that said “Imran Khan has not lost but has won”.

In the tweet today, he said, “Praise be to God, Imran Khan’s popularity today is at its height with God’s blessing and benevolence.

“The Pakistani nation has awakened. We are about to become one nation and our destination is real freedom, God-willing. May God keep Pakistan standing and lasting. May God make the Pakistani nation successful and prosperous.”

Govt celebrates one year in power

Meanwhile, leaders from the coalition government did not shy away from celebrating their year in power.

Former prime minister Yousaf Raza Gillani’s son, Kasim Gillani tweeted in praise of Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari — the chairman of his party.

He said, “Bilawal Bhutto emerged as [the] most valuable player in the successful vote of no confidence against Imran Khan in April 2022.

“As a young politician, he skillfully brought together various political forces in Pakistan and was instrumental in toppling the powerful ‘one-page’ regime,” he asserted.

He also said that during the vote of no confidence against Imran Khan, the PTI government resorted to “every possible undemocratic means to cling to power”. “Despite this, the determined efforts of opposition parties, led by Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, succeeded in toppling the hybrid regime.”

Separately, Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Economy and Energy Bilal Azhar Kayani in a press conference, said PTI chief Imran Khan is responsible for the present economic turmoil in the country.

According to Radio Pakistan, he said instead of staying focused on the economy, the ex-prime minister remained busy with political persecution and didn’t care about the public’s problems.

He said during Imran’s tenure, six million people became jobless and 20m people were forced to live under the poverty line. He said the PTI government increased the overall debt of the country by 78 per cent in less than four years.

Contrary to this PML-N government in its previous tenure completed unprecedented development projects and overcame the historic energy crises.