asia
6 dead in India pharma factory fire
At least six people were charred to death and more than 15 others injured in a major fire at a pharmaceutical unit in the southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh in the small hours of Thursday, officials said.
Fire and police officials suspect a gas leak triggered a reactor explosion, leading to the deadly blaze at the factory owned by Porus Laboratories Private Limited in the state's West Godavari district.
"Some 20-22 people were working at the factory at the time of the fire," district police chief B Srinivasulu told the media.
Some 10 fire tenders were pressed into service and it took them over two hours to contain the blaze. "Later the firemen found the six charred bodies from the factory premises," a senior fire officer said.
Read: Palestinian killed, 31 injured by Israeli soldiers in WB
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy condoled the deaths and announced a Rs 25 lakh each for the families of the deceased.
"A probe has been ordered into the fire," the police officer said.
Fires in factories and residential buildings are common in India because of lax enforcement of inferno safety regulations.
Sri Lankan protesters mark new year near president’s office
Sri Lankans shared milk rice and oil cakes to celebrate their traditional new year on Thursday opposite President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s office, where they camped out for a sixth day demanding his resignation over the worst economic crisis in memory.
Soldiers who were disabled in the island nation’s civil war lit a hearth, Buddhist monks chanted religious verses and others set off firecrackers amid chants of: “Victory to the people’s struggle!”
Protesters are occupying the entrance and surroundings of Rajapaksa’s office, holding him responsible for the economic situation. They also are calling for his powerful family to leave power, accusing them of corruption and misrule.
“Other days our children go to their grandparents to celebrate the new year, but today we brought them here to show them the real situation in the country,” said Dilani Niranjala, who attended the protest with her husband and two sons aged 10 and 8.
“We don’t want to lie to them about what’s going on in the country and go to our village to celebrate the new year. From their younger days, they should see the truth and live with the truth,” she added.
Read: UN says Ukraine war threatens to devastate many poor nations
Niranjala’s husband, Usitha Gamage, who works as a taxi driver, said he had been discouraged watching the news every morning about skyrocketing living costs.
“I am so happy that this struggle is taking place and it gives me new hope and energy,” he said.
“The new year — after we chase them out — is going to be great for us. This is what I have told my children,” he added.
Sri Lankans in recent months have endured fuel and food shortages and daily power outages. Most of those items are paid for in hard currency, but Sri Lanka is on the brink of bankruptcy, saddled with dwindling foreign reserves and $25 billion in foreign debt due for repayment over the next five years. Nearly $7 billion is due this year.
They have been forced to wait in long lines to buy cooking gas, fuel and milk powder, and doctors have warned there is a potentially catastrophic shortage of essential medicines in government hospitals.
Tharushi Nirmani, a 23-year-old student who was helping distribute food to protesters, said the movement was uniting Sri Lankans from different backgrounds.
“All these years, the new year was celebrated by only two ethnic groups — Sinhalese and Tamils — but most of the people who were with us last night were Muslims,” she said, referring to her fellow volunteers. “There is an amazing togetherness.”
The government announced Tuesday that it is suspending repayments of foreign debt, including bonds and government-to-government borrowing, pending the completion of a loan restructuring program with the International Monetary Fund.
The government says the World Bank has provided $10 million to buy essential medicine and equipment and the health ministry is in discussions with the World Health Organization and Asian Development Bank for additional funding. The government has also appealed to Sri Lankans living and working overseas to donate medicines or money to purchase them.
Read: Neighbors back Ukraine, demand accountability for war crimes
The World Bank said Wednesday that it is concerned about the uncertain economic outlook in Sri Lanka and is working to provide emergency support for poor and vulnerable households to help them weather the economic crisis.
Much of the anger expressed in weeks of protests has been directed at the Rajapaksa family, which has held power for most of the past two decades. Critics accuse the family of having the government borrow heavily to finance projects that have earned no money, such as a port facility built with Chinese loans.
The president and his older brother, Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, continue to hold power, despite their politically powerful family being the focus of public ire. The Rajapaksas have refused to resign but the crisis and ongoing protests have prompted many Cabinet members to quit. Four ministers were sworn in as caretakers, but many key government portfolios are vacant.
Parliament has failed to reach a consensus on how to deal with the crisis after nearly 40 governing coalition lawmakers said they would no longer vote according to coalition instructions, significantly weakening the government.
But with opposition parties divided, they have been incapable of forming a majority to take control of Parliament.
Palestinian killed, 31 injured by Israeli soldiers in WB
Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian and injured 31 others on Wednesday morning during clashes near the northern West Bank city of Nablus, said medics and eyewitnesses.
The Palestinian Ministry of Health said in a press statement that Mohammed Assaf, a 34-year-old lawyer, was killed after he had been shot in the chest, while 31 others were injured, including 11 by live ammunition.
Eyewitnesses said that Israeli army forces stormed Nablus and three villages around the city to arrest Palestinians, who are wanted by the Israeli security forces, as fierce clashes broke out with dozens of Palestinian protestors.
Also Read: Hamas, Fatah reject Israeli threats to storm Palestinian cities in northern West Bank
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Red Crescent Society affirmed that 17 were injured by Israeli soldiers, including 11 by live ammunition and six by rubber bullets, while dozens suffered suffocation after inhaling teargas fired by the soldiers.
The eyewitnesses said that the clashes came as Israeli soldiers conducted arrest raids and secured the restoration of a shrine in Nablus after it was vandalized twice by Palestinians in recent days.
There has been no immediate Israeli army comment on the incidents in Nablus. However, Palestinian security sources said that the Israeli army conducts daily raids in cities, towns, and villages in the West Bank to arrest Palestinian activists.
Tension between Israel and the Palestinians has been flaring in the West Bank and East Jerusalem over the past three weeks.
Also Read: Palestinian PM calls on int'l community to stop Israeli attacks against Palestinians
On Monday, Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeineh warned that the Israeli escalation measures in the Palestinian territories would push the matters to "an uncontrollable situation."
Sri Lanka halts debt repayment pending IMF bailout plan
Sri Lanka is suspending its repayment of foreign debt, including bonds and government-to-government borrowing, pending the completion of a loan restructuring program with the International Monetary Fund to deal with the island nation’s worst economic crisis in decades, the government announced Tuesday.
Sri Lankans in recent months have endured fuel and food shortages and daily power outages. Most of those items are paid for in hard currency, but Sri Lanka is on the brink of bankruptcy, saddled with dwindling foreign reserves and $25 billion in foreign debt due for repayment over the next five years. Nearly $7 billion is due this year.
“Sri Lanka has had an unblemished record of external debt service since independence in 1948,” the Ministry of Finance said in a statement. “Recent events, however, including the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the fallout from the hostilities in Ukraine, have so eroded Sri Lanka’s fiscal position that continued normal servicing of external public debt obligations has become impossible.”
The ministry said the IMF has assessed Sri Lanka’s foreign debt as unsustainable, and that staying current on foreign debt payments is no longer a realistic policy.
In addition to seeking help from the IMF, the government has turned to India and China for help in dealing with shortages.
“The government intends to pursue its discussions with the IMF as expeditiously as possible with a view to formulating and presenting to the country’s creditors a comprehensive plan for restoring Sri Lanka’s external public debt to a fully sustainable position,” the ministry said.
Central Bank governor Nandalal Weerasinghe told reporters that the announcement on suspending foreign debt payments was urgent because Sri Lanka is due to repay nearly $200 million next week and if the country can’t raise that money, it would face a “hard default” leading to worse repercussions.
The Central Bank appealed to Sri Lankans living and working abroad to donate foreign currency into four government-run bank accounts set up for government officials to purchase essentials like food, fuel and medicine for distribution to the population urgently because talks with the IMF will take time to generate economic improvement. The Central Bank tweeted that a three-member committee will assure transparency in distribution of the funds and promised to make public quarterly financial statements.
Sri Lankans have been forced to wait in long lines to buy cooking gas, fuel and milk power and doctors have warned there is a catastrophic shortage of essential drugs in government hospitals.
Protesters camped out around the president’s office for a fourth straight day demanded the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, holding him responsible for the economic crisis. Supporters of the protesters who are also calling on the ruling Rajapaksa family to quit supplied drinking water and food to the demonstrators. Muslim protesters broke their Ramadan fasting at the site to share food with people around them.
Much of the anger expressed in weeks of protests has been directed at the Rajapaksa family, which has held power for most of the past two decades. Critics accuse the family of borrowing heavily to finance projects that have earned no money, such as a port facility built with Chinese loans.
Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa, a former president who is the current president’s older brother, sought in a speech Monday night to reassure people that the government is working to resolving the country’s financial problems.
“We are embarking on an enormous program to overcome the crisis we face today. Every second spent by the president and this government is used up exhausting avenues to rebuild our country,” he said.
Rajapaksa refused to yield power, saying the governing coalition will continue to rule Sri Lanka because opposition parties rejected its call for a unity government.
The crisis and protests prompted many Cabinet members to resign. Four ministers were sworn in as caretakers, but many of the key government portfolios are vacant.
Parliament has failed to reach a consensus on how to deal with the crisis after nearly 40 governing coalition lawmakers said they would no longer vote according to coalition instructions, significantly weakening the government.
But with opposition parties divided, they have been incapable of forming a majority to take control of Parliament.
Japan's PM planning Southeast Asian, European tour
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida is planning to visit Southeast Asia and possibly countries in Europe during the upcoming Golden Week string of national holidays starting in late April, sources with knowledge of the matter said Tuesday.
According to the diplomatic sources, Kishida is looking to travel to Thailand in the early part of the holidays, as well as Indonesia and Vietnam.
Read: Japan: Lasting Rohingya solutions to help a free Indo-Pacific
During this leg of the tour, the Japanese leader will seek to bolster cooperation in a number of areas spanning economics and geopolitics, the sources said.
As for the potential European leg of his tour, the sources said Kishida is expected to address the ongoing situation in Ukraine with his respective counterparts and other senior officials.
Protests are hurting rebuilding of Sri Lanka economy: PM
Sri Lankan Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa appealed for protesters to end the weeks of mass demonstrations that have called for the government to resign over the country’s worst economic crisis in decades.
Rajapaksa and his brother, President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, have become a focus of the protests that started over shortages of fuel, food and other essentials and daily power outages. Most of those items are paid in hard currency, but Sri Lanka is on the brink of bankruptcy, saddled with dwindling foreign reserves and $25 billion in foreign debt. Nearly $7 billion is due this year.
In a televised speech to the nation, Rajapaksa says the government is launching a plan to rebuild the country and “every second” protesters spend demonstrating on the streets takes away opportunities to receive crucial foreign currency.
Protesters, meanwhile, continued occupying the entrance to the president’s office for a third day Monday demanding he resign.
Talks with the International Monetary Fund are expected later this month, and the government has turned to China and India for emergency loans to buy food and fuel.
Read: Sharif sworn in as Pakistan’s new PM after week of drama
Mahinda Rajapaksa blamed the foreign exchange crisis on COVID-19 restrictions and the loss of crucial tourism income.
“We are embarking on an enormous program to overcome the crisis we face today. Every second spent by the president and this government is used up exhausting avenues to rebuild our country,” he said.
“Friends, every second you protest on the streets, our country loses opportunities to receive potential dollars,” he said.
Much of the anger expressed by weeks of growing protests has been directed at the Rajapaksa family, which been in power for most of the past two decades. Critics accuse the family of borrowing heavily to finance projects that have earned no money, such as a port facility built with Chinese loans.
Supporters of camped-out protesters supplied drinking water, food and tea while ambulances and doctors stood by to deal with any health emergencies. Muslim protesters broke their Ramadan fasting at the site sharing food with those around them.
Dinush Thyagaraja, a 29-year-old tourism professional, said that he voted for Gotabaya Rajapaksa in the 2019 presidential election believing he was the best candidate to restore national security after losing a friend to Easter Sunday suicide bomb attacks that year on hotels and churches.
More than 260 people died in the attack carried out by local Muslim groups inspired by the Islamic State group.
Read: Pressure mounts on Sri Lanka leader to quit as crisis grows
“I do realize I did make a mistake and I want to rectify that,” said Thyagaraja. “I am unable to feed my family, I don’t know whether we will be able to enjoy a meal in another month to come.”
Even political allies of Mahinda Rajapaksa called for him to be replaced with an interim prime minister and a multiparty government. They say they don’t want the powerful Rajapaksa family in an interim government because it is at the center of the public ire.
In his speech, Rajapaksa refused to yield power, saying the governing coalition will continue to rule Sri Lanka because opposition parties rejected the call for a unified government.
“We invited all political parties represented in Parliament to join us and uplift the country. But they did not join us,” Rajapaksa said. “As the party in power we took up that responsibility.”
The crisis and protests prompted many Cabinet members to resign. Four ministers were sworn in as caretakers, but much of the key portfolios are vacant.
Read: Sri Lanka president won’t resign despite growing protests
Parliament has failed to reach a consensus on how to deal with the crisis after nearly 40 governing coalition lawmakers said they would no longer vote according to coalition instructions, significantly weakening the government.
With opposition parties divided, they too have not been able to form a majority and take control of Parliament.
Sharif sworn in as Pakistan’s new PM after week of drama
Pakistan’s parliament on Monday elected opposition lawmaker Shahbaz Sharif as the new prime minister, following a week of political turmoil that led to the weekend ouster of Premier Imran Khan.
Sharif took the oath of office inside the stately, white marble palace known as the Presidency in a brief ceremony.
But his elevation won’t guarantee a peaceful path forward or solve the country’s many economic problems, including high inflation and a soaring energy crisis.
Sharif, the brother of disgraced former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, won with 174 votes after more than 100 lawmakers from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or Pakistan Justice Party, resigned and walked out of the National Assembly in protest.
Those 174 votes — two more than the required simple majority — are enough to pass laws in the 342-seat assembly. If Khan’s followers take to the streets, as he has vowed, it could create more pressure on lawmakers and deepen the crisis.
Khan, a former cricket star whose conservative Islamist ideology and dogged independence characterized his three years and eight months in office, was ousted early Sunday. He lost a no-confidence vote after being deserted by his party allies and a key coalition partner.
In a show of strength and a precursor to the political uncertainty ahead, Khan rallied hundreds of thousands of supporters in protests Sunday night, describing the new leadership as an “imposed government” that colluded with the U.S. to oust him. His backers marched in cities across Pakistan, waving large party flags and shouted slogans promising to return him to power. The crowds were dominated by youths who make up the backbone of Khan’s supporters.
The political drama began April 3 when Khan sidestepped an initial no-confidence vote demanded by the opposition by dissolving parliament and calling early elections. The opposition, which accuses Khan of economic mismanagement, appealed to the Supreme Court. After four days of deliberations, the court said Khan’s move was illegal and the no-confidence vote went ahead, leading to his ouster.
Khan has demanded early elections — the balloting is not due before August 2023. He has tapped into anti-American sentiment in Pakistan, accusing Washington of conspiring with his opponents to topple him. That conspiracy theory resonates with his youthful base, which often sees the U.S. war on terrorism after 9/11 as unfairly targeting Pakistan.
Read: PTI announces mass resignations from National Assembly
Khan claims Washington opposes him because of his independent foreign policy favoring China and Russia. He was criticized for a visit he made on Feb. 24 to Moscow, where he met with President Vladimir Putin as Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine.
The U.S. State Department has denied any involvement in Pakistan’s internal politics.
China, which is Pakistan’s key ally and investor, said Monday it would support any government.
“As Pakistan’s close neighbor and iron-clad friend, we sincerely hope that all factions in Pakistan will remain united and work together for national stability and development,” Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said at a briefing. “I would like to emphasize that no matter how the political situation changes in Pakistan, China will unswervingly adhere to its friendly policy toward Pakistan.”
China is heavily invested in Pakistan in its multibillion-dollar global initiative to link south and central Asia to Beijing.
Pakistan’s longtime rival India also sent congratulations to Sharif, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying his country “desires peace and stability.” The two countries have fought three wars, coming dangerously close to a fourth over the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir, which is divided between the two and claimed by both.
The opposition coalition consists of parties that cross the political divide, from the left to the radically religious. The two largest parties are the Pakistan Muslim League, headed by Sharif, and the Pakistan People’s Party, co-chaired by the son and husband of Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister who was killed in 2007.
A few wealthy and powerful families have dominated Pakistan’s politics for decades, with power most often alternating between the Sharif and the Bhutto camps. Both political houses have been accused of and at times convicted of widespread corruption. They have dismissed the allegations as being politically motivated.
Nawaz Sharif was unseated by the Supreme Court in 2015 after being convicted of financial irregularities revealed in the so-called Panama Papers — a collection of leaked secret financial documents showing how some of the world’s richest hide their money and involving a global law firm based in Panama. He was disqualified from holding office by the Supreme Court.
Asif Ali Zardari, Bhutto’s husband who served as president of Pakistan after the 2008 election, has spent more than seven years in prison, convicted on corruption charges.
Khan came to power in 2018, promising to break the pattern of family rule in Pakistan, but his opponents said he was elected with help from the powerful military, which has ruled the country for half of its 75-year history.
Nawaz Sharif was also ousted in 1999, in a military coup, and Benazir Bhutto’s government was ousted several times after the military sided with her opposition. In Pakistani politics, where loyalties are often fluid, Bhutto’s fiercest opposition often came from Sharif’s party.
Shahbaz Sharif has served three times as chief minister of Pakistan’s largest, most influential Punjab province, home to 60% of the country’s 220 million people. His son, Hamza, was elected last week as the new chief minister by the Punjab provincial parliament, ousting Khan’s nominee. Khan’s party is challenging that election, and the younger Sharif has yet to be sworn in.
Palestinians strive to expand local wheat yield amid import crisis
Facing a mounting wheat crisis, a government-run Seed Bank in West Bank has been racing against the clock to provide hundreds of local farmers with tons of improved wheat seeds in hope of greater yields.
The Palestinian territories have been suffering from a shortage of supply and soaring local wheat and flour prices, both the main source of imports, since the outbreak of Russia-Ukraine conflict two months ago.
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, the Palestinians depend entirely on the imports of wheat both in terms of food and animal feed, with 35,000 to 40,000 tons of imports annually to cover the demand of each.
"Every country in the world has its own (food) stock. But the Palestinians do not have that 'luxury'," Sameh Jarrar, the director of the Plant Genetic Resources Department in the Seed Bank at the Ministry of Agriculture, told Xinhua.
Jarrar added that Palestinians have been making every effort to garner sufficient local alternatives to food imports in case the conflict would not end soon.
Also Read: Russia-Ukraine war not to trigger food crisis in Bangladesh: Razzaque
The Seed Bank was established by the ministry in the 1980s under the supervision of a local advocacy group, where a total of 2,000 varieties of wild and domestic seeds are stored to preserve the genetic resources of indigenous plants in the Palestinian territories against the risk of extinction in climate change.
"We rely on two sources to store these seeds: the first is internal, and it is usually collected by the original wheat seeds through a work team affiliated with the ministry, and an external source obtained from international and Arab institutions," Jarrar said.
What distinguishes those improved varieties in the bank is that they can better withstand the varying climates and can germinate as quickly as possible, which would help narrow the shortage gaps, he added.
Researchers would work with local farmers to grow the varieties in test fields on promoting yields, climate resilience, and genetic diversity, according to Mohammed Abed, director of the 750,00-hectare Beit Qad Experimental Station for field crops.
Wheat, barley, and legumes are the main produce of the government-run test fields.
"We carry out the preservation by planting the varieties annually, multiplying them and renewing the bank from time to time," Abed said.
"We annually provide some 50 tons of improved seeds to farmers, who world cultivate them and put the yield on sale in local markets," he said.
Also Read: UN rings alarm over food crisis in Central American Dry Corridor
However, things do not seem easy primarily because "Israel controls much of the arable Palestinian lands in the West Bank and has imposed restrictions on Palestinian farmers' access to the lands," according to Ahmed Rabaia, a local agricultural expert.
"In 2010, there were about 25,000 dunams (2,500 hectares) producing about 45,000 tons, which constituted between 10 to 15 percent of consumption. Due to Israeli violations, we have only 18,000 dunams left and those produce only about 30,000 tons, and this amount constitutes between five to six percent of consumption," Rabaia added.
"At a time when we do not know when the Russia-Ukraine conflict will end, it is necessary to search for other sources such as Egypt, Canada, and Australia to reduce the risks that we may be exposed to in the future in order to obtain wheat at low prices that do not affect the Palestinian consumers," he explained.
PTI announces mass resignations from National Assembly
The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf on Monday decided to resign from the National Assembly, minutes before the election for the new prime minister is scheduled to place.
The decision was taken in a party's parliamentary meeting, which was chaired by PTI Chairman Imran Khan, at the Parliament House today afternoon, reports Dwan.
"The parliamentary party has decided to resign from the assemblies against the imported government," PTI Central Information Secretary Farrukh Habib confirmed in a tweet.
Immediately after the announcement, Murad Saeed tendered his resignation as member of the NA — the first from the party.
Read: Pakistani lawmakers to elect new PM after Imran Khan ouster
Speaking to DawnNewsTV shortly afterwards, he confirmed that he made the decision in line with the party's narrative. He reiterated the former prime minister's claims of a foreign conspiracy, stating that sitting in the NA after these revelations would be akin to be being a part of this plot.
"Should foreign powers have the right to make or break governments in Pakistan?" he asked.
Saeed also highlighted the charges against the opposition's candidate for prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif. "They were and are corrupt," he added.
Former maritime affairs minister Ali Haider Zaidi also followed suit, announcing his resignation on Twitter. He said he had submitted his resignation to the party chairman.
"No way we should legitimise this foreign-funded regime change in Pakistan. The battle for the sovereignty of Pakistan will now be decided on the streets by the people, not the these looters," he said.
Former minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur also shared a photo of his resignation on the party's letterhead.
"I am proud to be a follower of Imran Khan and will fight till my death for the freedom of Pakistan and parliament," he said.
PTI leaders Shireen Mazari, Hammad Azhar, and Shafaqt Mahmood shared their resignations on Twitter too.
Yesterday, PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry had said that the decision to resign was tied to the acceptance of PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif's nomination papers for prime minister's elections, to which the PTI had raised objections.
He said it was a "great injustice" that Shehbaz would be contesting the election for the prime minister on the same day he is to be indicted in a money laundering case.
Read: Pakistan's PM vows to fight on after Parliament ousts him
"What can be more insulting for Pakistan that a foreign selected and foreign imported government is imposed on it and a person like Shehbaz is made its head," he rued.
It is pertinent to mention that a special court (Central-I) of the Federal Investigation Agency was to indict Shehbaz and his son, Hamza, in a Rs14 billion money laundering case today but the court deferred the indictment.
Pakistani lawmakers to elect new PM after Imran Khan ouster
Pakistani lawmakers are to choose a new prime minister on Monday, capping a tumultuous week of political drama that saw the ouster of Imran Khan as premier and a constitutional crisis narrowly averted after the country’s top court stepped in.
The leading contender is Shahbaz Sharif, opposition lawmaker and a brother of disgraced former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. But his election will not guarantee a clear path forward — or solve Pakistan’s many economic problems, including high inflation and a soaring energy crisis.
Khan, a former cricket star whose conservative Islamist ideology and dogged independence characterized his three years and eight months in office, was ousted early Sunday after losing a no-confidence vote in Parliament. Deserted by his party allies and a key coalition partner, his opposition pushed Khan out with 174 votes — two more than the required simple majority in the 342-seat National Assembly.
The opposition has selected Shahbaz Sharif as its candidate for prime minister, claiming it has enough votes in his favor.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or Pakistan Justice Party, has put forward former foreign minister and seasoned politician Shah Mahmood Qureshi as its candidate. But Qureshi on Sunday muddied the waters by saying that many lawmakers in Khan’s party were contemplating resigning from Parliament after Monday’s vote for prime minister.
In a show of strength and precursor to the political uncertainty ahead, Khan rallied hundreds of thousands of supporters late Sunday to protest his ouster, and describing the next government as an “imposed government.” In cities across Pakistan, Khan’s supporters marched, waving large party flags and vowing support. The youth, who make up the backbone of Khan’s supporters, dominated the crowds.
Some were crying, others shouting slogans promising Khan’s return.
Khan has also demanded early elections, though the balloting is not due before August 2023. He has tapped into anti-American sentiment in Pakistan, accusing Washington of conspiring with his opponents to topple him. His conspiracy theory resonates with his young support base, which often sees Washington’s post 9/11 war on terror as unfairly targeting Pakistan.