Pakistan PM Imran Khan addresses the nation on Friday. (Photo: Instagram)Pakistan Political Crisis News LIVE: Imran Khan lost the no-confidence vote against him in the Pakistan National Assembly in the wee hours of Sunday, thus becoming the first Prime Minister in the nation to be removed through the process. The National Assembly session, which began on Saturday 10. 30 am, was adjourned multiple times. The House will meet again on April 11 at 2 pm to elect the new Prime Minister. Speaker Asad Qaiser and Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri had resigned before the voting began.
Imran Khan, who was elected as the Prime Minister in 2018, faced a no-confidence vote largely on accusations of economic mismanagement. No Pakistani prime minister has ever completed a full five-year term in office. Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government on Saturday had filed a review petition in the Supreme Court challenging its decision to declare the ruling of the deputy speaker to dismiss the no-confidence resolution against the prime minister as unconstitutional. The review petition, filed through Dr Babar Awan and Azhar Siddique, named the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Supreme Court Bar Association, Sindh High Court Bar Association and the Sindh Bar Council as respondents.
Imran Khan Friday accepted the Supreme Court’s verdict and urged his supporters to stage peaceful protests across the country when the “new imported government” comes into power Sunday. In an address to the nation on the eve of a no-trust motion he has little chance of defeating, Khan, 69, cited the example of India as a “self-respecting nation” (khuddar qaum) which no world power can dictate terms to.
Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan arrives to attend a military parade to mark Pakistan National Day in Islamabad, Pakistan, Wednesday, March 23, 2022. (AP/File)
It’s 10 April, 1973, that Pakistan’s parliament approved its Constitution. On April 10, Pakistan’s parliament passed the Opposition’s no-trust motion against Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, with 174 members in the 342-strong house voting in favour of the resolution.
This meant that Imran Khan is no longer the Pakistan PM. From New Delhi’s perspective, here are important takeaways.
Pakistan’s democracy, a flawed one, is still a “guided democracy”. After a chaotic week of moving no-trust motions and Supreme Court judgements, the Pakistan parliament — after days of back and forth — was able to prevail and oust the incumbent government in Pakistan.
While this is the first time that a sitting PM in Pakistan has been voted out, that has been a normal occurrence in India. This means that democracy in Pakistan is gradually finding its feet. Read More
National Assembly proceedings were adjourned in the early hours of Sunday and the House will meet again on April 11 at 2 pm to elect the new premier after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was removed from office through a no-confidence vote.
Ayaz Sadiq of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, who was chairing the crucial session, said the nomination papers for the new prime minister may be submitted by 2 pm on Sunday and the scrutiny would be done by 3 pm.
He summoned the session on Monday at 11 am and said the new premier would be elected then. However, the National Assembly of Pakistan later informed on its official Twitter account that the House will meet at 2 pm. (PTI)
Imran Khan lost the no-confidence vote against him in the Pakistan National Assembly in the wee hours of Sunday. The National Assembly session, which began on Saturday 10. 30 am, was adjourned thrice.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan left his office premises following Speaker Asad Qaiser's resignation, Geo News reported.
Pakistani opposition political parties have introduced a no-confidence vote in parliament seeking the ouster of Prime Minister Imran Khan, largely on accusations of economic mismanagement.
The bid to oust Khan got a boost on Wednesday when a key government ally said it reached a pact with the opposition and then quit Khan’s ruling coalition.
Khan’s ouster is likely to bring another round of instability in the nuclear armed country, in which the military has a long record of intervening in politics. Read More
The National Assembly has started voting on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, Geo News reported.
Pakistan Speaker Asad Qaiser and Deputy speaker Qasim Suri resigned before the voting of the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, Geo News reported quoting sources.
The National Assembly is expected to hold voting soon on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, Geo News reported.
Pakistan's army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Saturday met Prime Minister Imran Khan amid an impasse over a parliamentary vote to oust the premier, two sources familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Khan tried to block a no-confidence motion last week and dissolved the lower house of parliament, but Pakistan's top court ordered on Thursday the vote would have to be held by Saturday.The vote is yet to happen despite the passage of nearly 12 hours since the session started on Saturday. (Reuters)
The ruling PTI has submitted a reference against 20 deviant members to National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser as they aim to get dissident party members unseated. The reference against the members was filed under Article 63(A), Pakistan's Geo News reported.
Human Rights Minister Dr Shireen Mazari, speaking in the National Assembly, alleged that the US has an influence on Pakistan politics. "This has been the tradition of the United States. They have done the same in Iran, Iraq, Libya and Syria. In recent days, Biden has threatened Turkey and Russia. You go and beg from the United States, but this nation will not bow down," she was quoted as saying by Pakistani news media Dawn.
The National Assembly session, during which voting on a no-confidence motion against Imran Khan is to be held, has been adjourned yet again and is now expected to resume at 9:30 pm, Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported.
The session will likely continue till 12 am (local time), while PM Imran Khan has summoned a meeting of the federal cabinet at 9 pm, reports Pakistan's Geo News quoting National Assembly Secretariat sources.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Saturday told Parliament that the US national security adviser telephoned his Pakistani counterpart and "categorically asked us not to proceed with the Russia tour" of Prime Minister Imran Khan in February.
In a lengthy address to the National Assembly, ahead of a vote on a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Khan, Qureshi talked major foreign policy issues, especially the alleged regime change being plotted by the US in Pakistan. "Today Pakistan is standing at a historic juncture and the people need to decide whether they want to live in an independent state or become slaves [to the West],” the 65-year-old politician said, acknowledging that today might be his last day as the foreign minister of Pakistan.
“As the foreign minister of Pakistan, I want to bring this to record that when the decision to visit Moscow was taken after due deliberation because of Pakistan's better future and was taken months before the Ukraine situation emerged,” he said, referring to the controversy generated by Prime Minister Khan's maiden visit to Russia for a meeting with President Vladimir Putin. (PTI)
The National Assembly session, which was adjourned on account of iftar and Maghrib prayers break, has resumed.
The National Assembly session has been adjourned till 7:30 pm on account of iftar and Maghrib prayers break, Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported.
Pakistan's I&B Minister Choudhary Fawad Hussain changes his Twitter account bio to former I&B minister ahead of voting on no-confidence motion against PM Imran Khan.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has summoned a meeting of his cabinet ministers late on Saturday night, even though his government is expected to lose the no-confidence motion scheduled to take place later in the evening, according to local media reports.
Khan has summoned the Cabinet Meeting at 9.00 PM at the Prime Ministers' House here. Important decisions are expected in the meeting, Geo News reported quoting high-level sources. However, the meeting has taken many by surprise as the no-confidence vote is expected to be completed by around 8.00 PM and Khan has little chance of surviving it. (PTI)