Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan Ousted by Opposition in No-confidence Vote

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted early on Sunday after losing a no-confidence vote in the country’s parliament. The opposition coalition in the National Assembly overwhelmed the Imran Khan-led ruling government in the no-confidence resolution with 174 votes in the 342-member house. Imran Khan is the first prime minister in the history of Pakistan to be successfully ousted by the opposition with a no-confidence motion. Such a move was brought against the late Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in 1989, but it failed. Voting on the no-confidence motion against Khan began in the National Assembly session that began on Saturday night. The proceedings were chaired by National Assembly lawmaker and former speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq. Parliament Speaker Asad Qaiser and Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri resigned their posts ahead of the no-confidence vote against Khan. Both are among Khan’s die-hard supporters. It was the longest-ever session of the National Assembly, which began on Saturday and ended on Sunday early morning. The national assembly will choose a new leader of the house on Monday. Khan did not attend the assembly session and was engaged in consultations in the Prime Minister’s House until the last moment. Upon hearing the news of the success of the movement, Khan drove to his private residence in Islamabad.