Imran Khan ousted as Prime Minister of Pakistan
After a no-confidence vote in parliament, Imran Khan has been ousted as the prime minister of Pakistan
The last-minute vote took place after midnight on Sunday, April 10, 2022, after opposition parties brought a motion against Khan in his ability to lead the country.
174 members participated in the vote in the 342-strong house voting in favour of the outcome.
The result was announced by PML-N’s Ayaz Sadiq who was chairing the session after Asad Qaiser, an ally of Khan had resigned as the speaker in parliament.
This resolution makes Imran Khan the first prime minister of Pakistan to be ousted in this way with a no-confidence vote.
Not everyone cast their votes. For example, dissenting members of PTI did not cast their votes.
The motion was subsequently upheld by Pakistan’s Supreme Court. This resulted in Imran Khan being removed from office, according to Article 95 of the Constitution.
The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday, April, 7,2022, that Imran Khan had acted unconstitutionally when he blocked the no-confidence vote and dissolved parliament.
This resulted in some members of parliament accusing Imran Khan of treason.
Khan, aged 69, has not acknowledged this action taken against him and said that he would not recognise an opposition government. He claims there is a US-led conspiracy to remove him from his role albeit without evidence.
Just before the vote started members of Mr Imran Khan’s party (PTI) left the building.
Khan had made it clear that he had no intention of resigning or stepping aside voluntarily in a late-night address to the country before the vote.
He urged his supporters to go out and protest in public and said he would not accept any “imported” government.
Khan said: “What is happening with our democracy is catastrophic.”
Khan’s time as prime minister was hit by an economic crisis, including huge increases in inflation. Religious violence and public lynchings of those accused of blasphemy were also on the rise.
In a Twitter post after the supreme court ruling, Khan wrote: “My message to our nation is I have always and will continue to fight for Pak till the last ball.”
The new prime minister of Pakistan will be appointed on Monday, April 11, 2022, by the assembly at 11.00 am.
Ayaz Sadiq has urged nomination papers for new candidates to be submitted by 2.00 pm on Sunday, April 10, 2022, and they will be reviewed by 3.00 pm.
The newly appointed PM will hold the post until October 2023, which is when the next election will be held.
A tweet from opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif said the country and parliament were “finally freed from a serious crisis”.
Imran Khan the former captain of the Pakistan cricket team was elected as the prime minister of Pakistan in 2018 with a promise to address corruption and improve the economy.
However, the country got tangled in a major financial crisis and the pledges were not met.
Reports say that Mr Khan had the support of the Pakistan army to come into power but now it looks like the army is no longer in his favour as he tried to fight for his political career.