Pakistani prime minister says he won't accept results of no-confidence vote

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said Saturday that he will not accept the results of Sunday's no-confidence vote, The New York Times reports.

Khan, a former cricket star who took office in 2018 but has since lost the support of Pakistan's politically active army and of many lawmakers in his own party, is likely to lose the vote, creating a political crisis if he refuses to step down.

On Saturday, Khan told reporters from the Times and other outlets that the vote was part of a policy of "regime change" being implemented by the United States. Khan has aligned Pakistan more closely with China and met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on the day that Russia's invasion of Ukraine began. President Biden has not called Khan since taking office. Khan also praised the Taliban for having "broken the shackles of slavery" when they seized control of Afghanistan after the United States' withdrawal last summer, according to The Wall Street Journal.

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Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa took a more genial tone toward the U.S. saying Saturday that the two countries share "a long history of excellent and strategic relationship."

Since gaining independence in 1947, Pakistan has experienced four successful military coups.