After days of political drama today, the government led by Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted from power in Pakistan at midnight on Saturday after he failed to pass a no-confidence motion against him. 164 members recorded their votes in favor of the resolution. Pakistan’s parliament began voting on a no-confidence motion against Khan, ending a 13-hour standoff in which he was expected to lose.
After a long wait, the historic session of the National Assembly to decide the fate of Imran Khan began on Saturday night when the clock struck 12 midnight 10 minutes before the midnight drama. The National Assembly session was adjourned after the motion of no-confidence was adopted. Leader of the Opposition Shahbaz Sharif raised a no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister. Speaker Assad Kaiser resigned from the legislature before the no-confidence vote.
Acting Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq said 174 members of parliament had voted in favor of the motion, “resulting in a no-confidence vote.”
Incumbent Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has lost his no-confidence vote and will be the new Prime Minister of Pakistan from Sunday.
Opposition lawmakers say they have 172 votes in the 342-seat assembly to oust Khan, following the departure of several members of his ruling party and a small, but important, coalition partner.
How long has the Prime Minister been in power in Pakistan?
No Prime Minister of Pakistan has ever served a full term.
However, Khan was the first to lose the post through a no-confidence vote. It was not immediately clear when the legislature would elect a new prime minister, but opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif was almost certain to lead the nuclear-armed country of 220 million people after weeks of high-profile political drama.
The vote came after a meeting between opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif and the country’s powerful army chief, General Kamar Javed Bajwa Khan.
Speaker of the lower house of Parliament resigns
Lower House Speaker Asad Qaiser, a member of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party who adjourned the House three times on Saturday, announced his resignation, adding to the drama in the chamber. However, the last was not saved.
The interests of the country should be given priority – Imran Khan
Khan’s allies blocked the no-confidence motion last week and tore down the lower house of parliament, allowing the country’s Supreme Court to intervene and pass a vote. Proponents of her case have been working to make the actual transcript of this statement available online.
Khan, 69, came to power in 2018 in support of the military, but lost a parliamentary majority when allies recently left his coalition government.
Opposition parties have accused Khan of failing to revive the economy damaged by Kovid-19 or fulfill his promise to make Pakistan a world-renowned corruption-free, prosperous nation.
The cricket star-politician vowed to “fight” against any move to replace him.
