Imran Khan’s Conspiracy Play – WSJ

In a self-destructive move, Prime Minister Imran Khan poked fun at Pakistan’s democratic process on Sunday when he claimed a foreign conspiracy was underway against him. After Mr Khan’s ruling party’s deputy speaker of parliament blocked a no-confidence vote, Mr Khan dissolved parliament and called for snap elections. The decision stunned the country and sparked a constitutional crisis that prompted the Supreme Court to step in and declare Parliament’s decision unconstitutional. The court restored parliament on Thursday and ordered a vote of no confidence in Mr Khan to be held on Saturday.

A consortium of opposition parties initiated the chaotic no-confidence vote in Mr Khan’s government, accusing him of economic mismanagement, toxic domestic politics, abusive governance and foreign policy glitches. Mr Khan accused his opposition of conspiring with the US to overthrow his government and labeled his opposition “national traitors”.