ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan, 69, has been ruled out of a no – confidence vote after a long political drama. The no-confidence motion was passed by 174 votes, with members of the ruling party abstaining. In the 342-member National Assembly, 172 votes were needed. Within minutes of passing the no-confidence motion, Imran vacated his official residence.
Following the resignation of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly just before the vote, an interim speaker was appointed. The new prime minister is likely to be elected today. Opposition leader Nawaz Sharif’s brother Shahbaz Sharif, 70, is expected to become the next prime minister.
Parliament convened yesterday morning for the no-confidence motion, but the session was adjourned till night without a vote. An emergency cabinet meeting at 9 pm decided that Imran Khan should not resign. Meanwhile, Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa met with Imran. The army then formed outside Parliament.
Following the Speaker’s refusal to allow the vote, Supreme Court Chief Justice Umar Bandyal directed the court to open a special sitting at midnight. With the decisive intervention of the military and the Supreme Court, Imran’s strategy of postponing the no-confidence motion failed.
This marked the end of a 14 – hour political drama from 10 am. As the House convened this morning, Imran’s Pakistan Tehreek – e – Insaf (PTI) ministers continued their lengthy speeches, despite opposition protests. The church was adjourned four times during the day. The National Assembly reconvened at 8 p.m.
English Summary: Pakistan political crisis updates