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Pakistan PM, Imran Khan, swept aside after losing confidence vote

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Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Imran Khan, has been swept out of office after 174 members of parliament voted against hi a few days after he had blocked a similar attempt.

The former Cricket star turned politician was deposed on Saturday by a no-confidence vote in the parliament, after the country’s Supreme Court ruled that he had acted unconstitutionally by previously using his veto power to block the process and dissolving parliament.

The no-confidence motion, which required 172 votes in the 342-seat parliament to pass, was supported by 174 politicians, including members of his own party, ending Khan’s three and half years in power.

The defiant Khan has accused the opposition of colluding with the United States to unseat him, calling on his supporters to stage nationwide rallies from on Sunday.

“I will not accept an imported government. I’m ready for a struggle,” Khan had said while addressing his supporters.

With the deposition of the 69-year-old PM, Khan had become the first Prime Minister in the country’s history to be overthrown through a vote of no confidence which is the only constitutional way to remove the head of government in Pakistan.

However, it is on record that no Pakistani Prime Minister has ever completed a five-year term in office in the country’s 75-year history.

Khan’s political troubles and eventually removal took roots when his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lost the support of coalition allies, denying him the majority he needed to defeat the vote of no-confidence.

Outside of parliament, Khan also lost the support of Pakistan’s powerful military, which the opposition alleged helped him win the 2018 general election, and had recently publicly fallen out with the Prime Minister over senior military appointments and policy decisions.

Before his eventual removal, principal opposition parties, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N), had ramped up efforts to dislodge Khan, with coalition allies becoming vocal in their dissatisfaction with him.

The opposition parties also accused Khan of failing to revive an economy battered by COVID-19 or fulfil promises to make Pakistan corruption free.

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Musings From Abroad

US sanctions companies financing warring parties in Sudan

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The United States has announced sanctions on companies identified to be contributing to the ongoing armed clashes in Sudan.

Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen stated that “through sanctions, we are cutting off key financial flows to both the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces, depriving them of resources needed to pay soldiers, rearm, resupply, and wage war in Sudan.”

The move is believed to be an attempt to step up pressure on the army and a rival paramilitary force to bring an end to the fighting as ceasefire talks have mostly failed translate to an actual ceasefire.

The conflict in the country has been between the army under General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, head of Sudan’s transitional government’s Sovereign Council, and army troops loyal to General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the council’s deputy leader who controls the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

In a statement, the United States Treasury Department said two companies had been identified to be affiliated with Sudan’s army and two companies affiliated with the rival paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), accusing them of generating revenue from the conflict and contributing to the fighting.

Some of the targeted companies are Algunade, which has in the past bypassed central bank controls to export tens of millions of dollars of gold to Dubai and is said to be a Sudanese holding company controlled by RSF Commander Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and his brother; Tradive General Trading L.L.C., a front company owned by RSF Major Algoney Hamdan Dagalo, another brother; Sudan’s largest defense enterprise, Defense Industries System; and arms company, Sudan Master Technology.

Over 1,000 civilians have been killed in the war, which began on April 15, and more than 1.4 million people have been internally displaced, with approximately 350,000 fleeing into neighbouring countries.

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Musings From Abroad

BRICS Foreign Ministers call for ‘rebalancing’ of global order 

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Foreign ministers of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa currently meeting in Cape Town ahead of the BRICS Summit have called for a “rebalancing” of the global order.

India’s Foreign Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar said during opening remarks, “Our gathering must send out a strong message that the world is multipolar, that it is rebalancing and that old ways cannot address new situations.”

A video of Russian Foreign Affairs Minister, Sergey Lavrov at the conference also surfaced yesterday, while speaking about the changes in the international system which makes the pursuit of national interest attainable for all in the system.

“A more just, polycentric international order is taking shape,” Lavrov said.

The host, South Africa, has been under pressure to arrest Russian President, Vladimir Putin during an expected visit to the summit in August following a ruling by the International Criminal Court for his arrest.

United States ambassador, Reuben Brigety last month also accused South Africa of supplying Russia with arms in December in the ongoing Russia/Ukraine war.

Meanwhile, Pretoria has maintained that it is neutral over the war, but is accused by critics of tilting towards the Kremlin, and has long advocated for BRICS to act as a counterbalance to a Western-dominated international order.

“Our vision of BRICS is for our partnership to provide global leadership in a world fractured by competition, geopolitical tension, inequality, and deteriorating global security,” South African Foreign Minister Naledi Pandor told the meeting.

“Our discussions today will therefore focus on opportunities… strengthening and transforming global governance systems”.

Meanwhile, South African opposition parties are divided over the country’s continued relations with Russia and the supposed welcoming gesture ahead of Putin’s visit. While Democratic Alliance (DA) disagrees with the stance and has initiated a suit against it, the EFF movement has insisted that “Putin is welcomed.

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