Pakistan: Former PM Imran Khan calls for march on Islamabad

Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan called on Sunday for his supporters to march peacefully on Islamabad on May 25, to press for fresh elections.

Khan, who served as prime minister for over three and half years, was ousted in a no-confidence vote in parliament by an alliance of all major political parties. Since his ouster, he’s addressed rallies in several cities as he mobilises for a grand show of strength in the capital on Wednesday.

Khan’s call came after a marathon session of leaders from his Tahrik-e-Insaf party in the northwestern city of Peshawar. He describes the march as a move to protect the country’s sovereignty, as he alleges that the vote that removed him was a US-organised plot.

In his speech, Khan urged authorities not to oppose the march, which will gain strength outside of Islamabad before heading to the city centre. There, he says his supporters will remain until Parliament is dissolved and new elections are called. Thousands have come to his rallies in the past.

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Khan claims America wanted him gone because of his foreign policy choices in favour of Russia and China, and a visit he made on February 24 to Moscow, where he held talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin as Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine. He has also said the US dislikes his strident criticism of Washington’s war on terror. The US State Department has denied any involvement in Pakistan’s internal politics.

• Pakistan