Imran Khan, overthrown by a motion of censure, former PM: foreign conspiracy

In a surprise incident, the Pakistani House of Representatives voted yesterday, Saturday evening, to dismiss Prime Minister Imran Khan from his post, after a confrontation that started since the morning between the opposition and the ruling party led by Khan lasted for nearly 14 hours. In addition, there will be a vote to choose a new prime minister next Monday, so the Pakistani authorities lifted the state of alert and prevented the ministers from traveling.

Opposition parties won 174 votes in the 342-member House of Representatives to support the no-confidence motion, giving them a majority in the vote, but only a handful of MPs from Khan’s ruling party were present, the speaker said.

In the midst of that crisis, and before the no-confidence announcement, the Speaker of the Lower House of the Pakistani Parliament announced his resignation yesterday evening, as the crisis over a parliamentary vote to oust Prime Minister Imran Khan worsened.

Khan’s ally, Parliament Speaker Asad Qaiser, was scheduled to preside over a no-confidence vote to oust Khan on Saturday in accordance with the ruling of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

The first official response to his dismissal came a few hours later. Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan confirmed the existence of a foreign conspiracy to change the regime in his country, stressing that the Pakistani people will protect democracy and sovereignty.

Pakistan gained independence in 1947, but the struggle for freedom was launched again today in the face of foreign conspiracy, Khan said in a tweet on his Twitter account Sunday, adding that people in any country are always the advocates of democracy and sovereignty.

Prior to these events, several negotiations took place before it was postponed. The parliamentary vote was scheduled for Saturday, at the request of opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif, days after Khan prevented a similar attempt. Two informed sources told Reuters that the Pakistani army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, met Saturday with Prime Minister Imran Khan, amidst a political crisis on a parliamentary vote to impeach the prime minister.

Khan tried to block a no-confidence motion last week to dissolve the House of Representatives, but Pakistan’s Supreme Court ordered last Thursday that a vote be held by Saturday.

Khan, a former cricket star, has vowed to fight against any move to topple him, in the latest development in a crisis threatening the South Asian nation’s 220 million people’s political and economic stability.

The Supreme Court ruled last Thursday that Khan violated the constitution last Sunday when he blocked a vote of confidence scheduled for last Sunday, dissolved parliament, called for early elections, and ordered parliament to convene again.