Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted on Sunday after losing a no-confidence vote in parliament after he was abandoned by coalition partners who blamed him for the crumbling economy and breaking his campaign promises.
The result of the vote, the culmination of a 13-hour session involving multiple delays, was announced shortly before 1am local time by lower house Speaker Ayaz Sadik.
Khan, 69, was ousted three-and-a-half years later as the leader of a 220-million-strong nuclear-armed country where the military has ruled for nearly half of its nearly 75-year history.
Parliament will meet on Monday to elect a new prime minister.
Sunday’s vote was followed by a series of postponements in the hall, convened by long speeches by members of Khan’s party, who said there was a US conspiracy to overthrow the cricket star who had become a politician.
Opposition parties managed to get 174 votes in the 342-member House in support of the no-confidence vote, Sadiq said, making it a majority.
“Therefore, the proposal against Prime Minister Imran Khan was accepted,” he said under the blows to the bureaus.
Khan, who was not present at the vote, has no immediate comment.
Only a few lawmakers from Khan’s ruling party – Tehrik-i-Insaf or the Pakistani Justice Movement – attended the vote.
Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, seen attending a military parade in Islamabad last month, was ousted by a no-confidence vote early Sunday. (Anjum Navid / Associated Press)
The chamber voted after the country’s powerful army chief, General Kamar Javed Bajva, met with Khan, two sources said on condition of anonymity as criticism grew because of the delay in the parliamentary process.
“A new dawn has begun”
The favorite to become Pakistan’s next prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, said the ouster of Khan was a chance for a fresh start.
“A new dawn has begun … This alliance will rebuild Pakistan,” the 70-year-old Sharif told parliament.
Sharif, the younger brother of three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, has a reputation for being an effective administrator.
Supporters of opposition parties welcome lawmakers leaving the National Assembly in Islamabad after a no-confidence vote ousted the prime minister early Sunday. (Anjum Navid / Associated Press)
Parliamentary elections are not held until August 2023. However, the opposition said it wanted early elections, but only after it brought a political defeat to Khan and passed legislation he said was necessary to ensure the next elections were free and fair.
Khan’s removal extends Pakistan’s unenviable record of political instability: no prime minister has completed his full term since independence in 1947, although Khan was the first to be removed by a no-confidence vote.
Signs that Khan has lost the support of the military
Khan came to power in 2018 with the support of the military, but recently lost his parliamentary majority when the Allies left his coalition government. There were also signs that he had lost military support, analysts said.
The military viewed Khan and his conservative agenda favorably when he won the election, but that support waned after disagreements over the appointment of the country’s next espionage chief and economic problems.
A security convoy carrying Khan was seen in Islambad, the capital of Pakistan, on Saturday. (Aamir Qureshi / AFP / Getty Images)
“They [the military] I do not want you to be seen as supporting him and being blamed for his failures, “opposition leader and former Prime Minister Shahid Hakan Abbasi told Reuters earlier.” They withdrew their support. “
Opposition parties say he has failed to revive the economy affected by COVID-19 or deliver on promises to make Pakistan free of corruption, a prosperous nation respected on the world stage.
Rima Omar, a legal adviser in South Asia to the International Commission of Lawyers, said it was a disgraceful end to Khan’s term. On Twitter, she posted “3.5 years marked by incompetence; extreme censorship; attacks on independent judges; political persecution; bitter polarization and separation; and finally, brazenly undermining the Constitution.
Khan’s allies blocked a no-confidence vote last week and dissolved the lower house of parliament, prompting the country’s Supreme Court to intervene and allow the vote to pass.
Visitors to a cafe in Islamabad watch TV on Friday while Khan gives a speech. (Akhtar Soomro / Reuters)
Earlier, Khan accused the United States of backing his actions to oust him, as he visited Moscow for talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin just after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine on February 24. Washington has denied the allegations.
Mohammed Ali Khan, an MP from Khan’s party, said the prime minister had fought to the end and would return to lead parliament in the future.
Khan has been antagonistic to the United States throughout his term, welcoming the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan last year and calling on the international community to work with them.
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