Page 6 - aruba-today-20220411

A6 WORLD NEWS
Monday 11 april 2022
Pakistan's PM vows to fight on after Parliament ousts him

By KATHY GANNON minister, Khan often played
Associated Press the role of opposition lead-
ISLAMABAD (AP) — The er.
ouster of Prime Minister Im- "His removal would see him
ran Khan in a parliamen- to a role he knows well,
tary no-confidence vote armed with a narrative of
early Sunday set Pakistan victimhood from unfound-
on an uncertain political ed claims of international
path, with his supporters interference," she said.
taking to the streets in pro- "His base will remain loyal,
test and the political oppo- though I expect both his
sition preparing to install his controversial attempt to
replacement. remain in power and re-
Tens of thousands of Khan duced military backing will
supporters marched in cit- lose him less committed
ies across Pakistan, waving supporters."
large party flags and vow- Khan would seem to have
ing support. The youth, who few options going forward.
make up the backbone of General elections are not
Khan's supporters, domi- scheduled before August
nated the crowds. 2023. Even if the new prime
In the southern Arabian minister favors early elec-
Sea port city of Karachi Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan attends a military parade to mark Pakistan National Day, in tions, this would likely not
more than 20,000 shouted Islamabad, Pakistan on March 23, 2022. happen before October.
slogans promising Khan's Associated Press The Pakistan Election Com-
return to power. In the mission, which oversees
capital of Islamabad, the Khan's successor is to be bating whether its lawmak- independent foreign policy polls, told the Supreme
lights from thousands of elected and sworn in by ers will resign from Parlia- choices, which often favor Court last week it had still to
supporters lit up the night Parliament on Monday. ment after the prime minis- China and Russia. He has finish re-aligning constitu-
sky as Khan made his way The leading contender is ter's vote is taken. occasionally defied Amer- encies in line with the results
through the crowd atop a Shahbaz Sharif, a brother Khan's ouster comes amid ica and stridently criticized of a 2017 census before
brightly colored truck. of disgraced former prime his cooling relations with America's post 9/11 war on polls could be held.
Khan was brought down minister Nawaz Sharif. the powerful military and terror. Khan said America In the aftermath of Sun-
after a day of drama and Shahbaz Sharif heads the an economy struggling was deeply disturbed by his day's vote, giant steel con-
often vitriolic remarks. His largest party in a diverse with high inflation and a visit to Russia and his meet- tainers stacked on top of
supporters accused Wash- alliance of opposition fac- plummeting Pakistani ru- ing with Russian President each other blocked main
ington of orchestrating his tions that span the spec- pee. The opposition has Vladimir Putin on Feb. 24, roads leading to Parlia-
ouster and his party walked trum from the left to radi- charged Khan's govern- the start of the devastating ment and to the diplomatic
out of Parliament shortly cally religious. Khan's nomi- ment with economic mis- war in Ukraine. enclave in the capital of Is-
before the vote. In the nee for prime minister will management. The U.S. State Department lamabad. Khan has called
end, 174 lawmakers in the be his foreign minister Shah Khan has claimed the U.S. has denied his allegations. on his supporters to gather
342-seat Parliament voted Mahmood Qureshi. worked behind the scenes Elizabeth Threlkeld, a Paki- late Sunday, after the end
to depose him, two more In an interview on a local to bring him down, purport- stan expert at the U.S.- of the daily dawn-to-dusk
than the required simple television channel Qureshi edly because of Washing- based The Stimson Center, fast during the Muslim holy
majority. said the party was still de- ton's displeasure over his said that even as prime month of Ramadan.q

2 European divers rescued in Indonesia, Dutch teenager dead

third, a 14-year-old Dutch, Indonesian authorities to tugboat. She said the four
had died, four days after continue searching for the of them surfaced safely
they disappeared off a body. The search opera- Wednesday afternoon but
southern Malaysian island tion in Malaysia has been later drifted away from the
and drifted some 70 nauti- called off. boat and were separated
cal miles (100 kilometers), Molina and Chesters were by a strong current.
authorities said. found 16 nautical miles (30 Grodem was training for
Alexia Alexandra Molina, kilometers) north of Indo- the other three, who were
18, of France and Adrian nesia's Bintan Island, which seeking to obtain ad-
Peter Chesters, 46, of Britain is about 70 nautical miles vanced diving licenses,
were found early Saturday (100 kilometers) from the lo- maritime officials said.
in neighboring Indonesian cation they were reported The boat skipper was de-
waters and taken to a hos- missing on Wednesday, ac- tained for further investiga-
pital, the Malaysian Mari- cording to Mersing police tion, and diving activities off
time Enforcement Agency chief Cyril Edward Nuing. Mersing were suspended.
said. Chesters' Dutch son, The three were diving with There are several islands off
This photo released by the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Nathen Renze Chesters, re- their Norwegian instructor, the town that are popular
Agency (MMEA) on Friday, April 8, 2022, shows search and res-
cue operation for foreign divers off the coast of Johor's Mersing, mained missing but Ches- Kristine Grodem, about 15 dive spots.
Malaysia. ters told police that he had meters (50 feet) deep at Malaysia's borders re-
Associated Press died because he was too an island off Mersing town opened to foreigners on
weak, the agency said in a in Malaysia's southern Jo- April 1 after being closed for
KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia ers were rescued by fish- statement. hor state. Grodem, 35, was more than two years during
(AP) — Two European div- ermen on Saturday but a The agency said it notified rescued Thursday by a the COVID-19 pandemic.q