After days of high political drama, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted from power on Sunday after he lost a trust vote in parliament, which was far from completing his five-year term.
Several adjournments were called after Sunday’s vote in the House convened due to lengthy speeches by members of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. “Foreign conspiracy” to oust the cricket star-turned-politician from power.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Thursday made the no-confidence motion mandatory after unanimously overturning Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri’s decision on rejecting the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan.
What happened?
The National Assembly called for a no-confidence motion on Saturday at 10.30 am (Pakistan time) but the proceedings were delayed several times. Voting began at 11.58 pm on Saturday and continued till midnight.
Moments before voting began, Speaker Asad Qaiser and Vice President Qasim Suri tendered their resignations. Leader of the opposition party Ayaz Sadiq was asked to handle the assembly session.
While Imran Khan chose to remain absent during the voting, his party MPs staged a walkout.
The opposition parties, whose ranks were strengthened by defections from the ruling PTI-led coalition, were able to secure 174 votes in support of the no-confidence motion in the 342-member house, making it the majority vote.
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With this, Khan became the first prime minister in the history of Pakistan to be removed from office through a motion of no confidence.
Even before his government lost the no-confidence motion in the National Assembly, Khan vacated the PM residence.
Pakistan’s Attorney General Khalid Javed resigned from his post after the removal of Imran Khan. In a letter to President Arif Alvi, he said that he has tried to serve the country to the best of his ability and discretion.
what next?
With Imran Khan taking over as Pakistan’s PM, the stage is clear for Leader of the Opposition and Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif to be the country’s next prime minister.
The candidates for the next prime minister of Pakistan are Reasons for filing nomination papers on Sunday, with elections being held when the National Assembly is reconvened at 2 pm on Monday. Leader of the Opposition and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Shahbaz Sharif is believed to be the front runner for the top post.
Read | Won’t take revenge: Front in race for Pakistan’s next PM Shahbaz Sharif
While Khan has not commented publicly on his expulsion, his PTI party has called for a nationwide “peaceful protest” on Sunday. In an address to the nation on Friday, a defiant Khan said he would not accept an “imported government” and called on people to take to the streets.
On Sunday, the Islamabad High Court accepted a plea seeking an inquiry into an alleged letter used by Imran Khan and his party in collusion with opposition parties to topple the Pakistan government, claiming involvement of a foreign power. took. The matter will be heard on Monday.
Parliamentary elections are not due until August 2023. Though the opposition has said it wants early elections, it needs to be ensured that the next election is free and fair only after giving Khan a political defeat and passing a law.
(With inputs from India Today Bureau and Agencies)