Pakistan political crisis: Midnight no-trust vote ousts Imran Khan
New Delhi, April 9
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan lost a crucial trust vote in the National Assembly past midnight on Saturday, becoming the first Premier in the country’s history to be removed through a no-confidence motion.
174 VOTES polled in favour of no-trust motion by oppn
172 VOTES were needed in 342-member national assembly
First Premier in Pakistan’s history to be removed through a no-confidence motion
No PM in Pak has completed full term
Khan (69) was not present in the Lower House at the time of voting. His party lawmakers staged a walkout. Voting on the resolution began at 11.58 pm (local time). The House was adjourned for two minutes and the new session began at 12.02 am. The joint Opposition, a rainbow of socialist, liberal and radically religious parties, secured the support of 174 members in the 342-member National Assembly, more than the needed strength of 172 to oust the PM. Earlier in the day, the crucial session convened in line with a landmark Supreme Court ruling to decide the fate of Prime Minister Khan witnessed multiple adjournments and heated arguments. The Opposition filed the no-confidence motion on March 8, setting a set of events leading to the day of voting and rise in the tension due to Khan’s insistence that he was being targeted as part of a “foreign conspiracy” with the collaboration of top Opposition leaders.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court opened its doors at midnight to a petition filed by the Opposition against the government’s stonewalling of a no-confidence vote in the National Assembly. The Khan government too had filed a review petition against the Supreme Court’s decision to set aside the Deputy Speaker’s April 3 ruling. The fast-paced developments saw National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser and Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri resigning from their posts.
The Islamabad High Court too opened at midnight to hear an emergency petition to “stop PM Imran Khan from denotifying a high-ranking official,” reported the media. The Opposition approached the apex court late in the night after there was no vote in the Assembly after 12 hours of its convening. The petition claimed that the stretching of Assembly proceedings was against the spirit of the Supreme Court’s orders for a no-confidence vote on Saturday.
Long adjournments took place in the afternoon as the government pressed for a discussion on the so-called “foreign conspiracy” against it. Taking the floor in the morning, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif called on Speaker Asad Qaiser to conduct proceedings as per the court’s directives. Responding, the Speaker said he would conduct proceedings according to the law and the Constitution. “But the important thing is that there has been talk of an international conspiracy. This should also be discussed,” he said amid protests.
Meanwhile, Imran Khan vacated the Prime Minister’s official residence minutes before he lost a crucial no-confidence vote, a senior leader from his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party said. PTI’s Senator Faisal Javed Khan tweeted that he saw off Khan from his official state residence.
