It is very moving and impressive to watch tens of thousands of Pakistanis singing harmoniously in support of deposed President Imran Kahn Saturday night, whilst holding torches. The Pakistanis are not dupes. Similar protests occurred all over Pakistan. Khan, once a star of international cricket, was elected prime minister of Pakistan on 18 August 2018.  He was removed from office in a bureaucratic At the end of March 2022 his coalition lost its absolute majority and the opposition, notably the Muslim League of Pakistan and the Peoples' Party of Pakistan put a motion censure against him. Imran Khan accused the United States of funding this opposition move because he had gone to Russia in the context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine 2022. The pictures and article inside are from Sputniknews India.

© AP Photo / Fareed Khan

Author of article: Kirill Kurevlev. Original publication: https://sputniknews.com/20220410/watch-tens-of-thousands-of-imran-khan-supporters-take-to-streets-in-pakistan-after-weekend-ouster-1094654664.html

Watch: Tens of Thousands of Imran Khan Supporters Take to Streets in Pakistan After Weekend Ouster

On Saturday, Imran Khan, who has served as Pakistan's prime minister since 2018, was removed from office following a no-confidence vote in the nation's parliament after a previous failed attempt. Approximately 174 MPs voted for this decision on Saturday, with the required 172 votes.

Tens of thousands of supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his Tehreek-e-Insaf party took to the streets to show their support on Sunday night.

Mass protests were held in all major cities of the country, including the capital Islamabad, according to local media reports.

With gratitude and with words of support for the protesters, the now former prime minister addressed the crowd, saying in the Twitter post that "never have such crowds come out so spontaneously and in such numbers in our history, rejecting the imported govt led by crooks."

A video circulating on social media, filmed from high floors, shows a huge number of people with flashlights on the brightly-lit streets. The crowd below can be heard singing songs.

Other videos also show many people chanting the name of the former prime minister.

"Thank you to all Pakistanis for their amazing outpouring of support & emotions to protest against US-backed regime change abetted by local Mir Jafars to bring into power a coterie of pliable crooks all out on bail," Khan wrote in the subsequent tweet. "Shows Pakistanis at home & abroad have emphatically rejected this."

Mir Jafar, who was mentioned by Khan, was a Mughal general in the 18th century who became the first ruler of Bengal dependent on the British East India Company. His reign is considered the beginning of British imperialism in Indian history and a key step in establishing British dominance in the Indian subcontinent.

Khan went on to say that "the freedom struggle begins again today against a foreign conspiracy of regime change."

"It is always the people of the country who defend their sovereignty & democracy," he emphasized.

Khan has previously said that his independent foreign policy irritated "foreign powers," in particular the US, and they financed the opposition's actions on a vote of no confidence. In turn, the US State Department said that Khan's claims that Washington is behind the alleged plot to overthrow his government are not true.

On Monday, Pakistan's parliament will consider nominations for the post of prime minister.