Imran Khan

Pakistan's prime minister found to have broken the law by attempting to stop vote going ahead.

“What is happening with our democracy is catastrophic,” Khan said in his speech. “From paralysed bureaucracy to the foreign policy challenges to the broken economy, chaos is reigning supreme.” The opposition has stated its intention to hold elections in the next few months, though they are likely to be October at the earliest. They appealed to the supreme court, who overturned Khan’s decision. Fawad Hussain, Khan’s minister for information, called it a “sad day for Pakistan. The return of looters and a good man sent home.” The Islamabad high court also prepared itself to hear a late-night contempt of court case.

Imran Khan was dismissed Sunday as Pakistan prime minister after losing a no-confidence vote in parliament following weeks of political turmoil.

selling of lawmakers like goats and sheep". He also accused the opposition of buying support in the assembly with "open horse-trading... There was drama right until the midnight deadline ordered by the Supreme Court, with the speaker of the assembly -- a Khan loyalist -- resigning at the last minute.

Khan made a last-ditch effort to cling to power, producing a document that he said proved U.S. officials had conspired against him in league with his ...

“Now we will make Pakistan again a country grounded in the law and the Constitution.” After taking office, Khan shifted Pakistan’s allegiance to China and caused consternation in Washington with some of his policies and public gestures. For the first time since the nation’s founding in 1947, it was neither a military coup nor another form of extralegal interference that cut short a prime minister’s tenure. Then the national assembly speaker announced that he was resigning to support Khan after viewing the secret document. And when it appeared that his opponents had marshaled enough votes to remove him, Khan dissolved the legislature April 3 and arranged to have the vote abruptly canceled, on the grounds that it was based on an illegal foreign conspiracy. “Today, Parliament will be writing history and defeat an elected prime minister in a constitutional manner,” he declared. Stunned and enraged, opposition leaders rushed to the Supreme Court, demanding that it overturn Khan’s actions on the grounds that they were unconstitutional and illegal. The count started just before midnight, and by 1:30 a.m., the embattled premier had been removed from office. Meanwhile, Khan spoke at a charity event and held a closed-door Cabinet meeting. Instead, pro-government members spent much of the day giving long, rambling speeches in an effort to delay the vote. Khan, in a subdued address to the nation Friday, said he would accept the decision. But in recent months, he had struggled to control rampant inflation, foreign debt and other economic woes.

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted from office after losing a no-confidence vote following a week of dramatic political developments, ...

Why it matters: While no previous Pakistani prime minister has completed a full five-year term, the former cricket star is the first to be removed from office ...

The big picture: He took office in 2018 after running as an anti-establishment politician who pledged to clear up corruption in politics. U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson paid a surprise visit to Kyiv on Saturday to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky "in a show of solidarity with the Ukrainian people," British and Ukrainian officials said. By the numbers: The motion passed early Sunday local time in the 342-seat parliament with 174 votes — two more than was required for a simple majority, according to the Washington Post.

Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lost the support of coalition allies, denying him the parliamentary majority he needed.

Military’s view was that it was the fallout of the Afghan war and we had no choice. Response [in the military] is mixed on whether it should have been used to meddle with the vote of no confidence.” “Once the view was entrenched that he can’t stay, it was only a matter of time.” But by pledging to support the no-confidence vote against Khan, the coalition allies effectively ended Khan’s three and a half year spell as prime minister. General Bajwa’s second term as army chief will end in November, with General Hameed one of the senior-most generals eligible to replace him. While the Pakistani military backed Khan’s Moscow trip, differences intensified after Khan made a high-stakes domestic pivot. Imran Khan is a populist, that’s his vulnerability too.” Meanwhile, the economy remains in a parlous state. “But then I saw that while Khan publicly talked about the poor, privately he surrounded himself with wealthy investors.” The move piled further pressure on Pakistan’s chronic fiscal deficit and balance-of-payment troubles. “There was disgruntlement for the past two years,” Kakar added. The former prime minister’s political demise was rooted in twin new realities.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has been ousted as the country's leader following a vote of no-confidence over allegations of economic mismanagement, ...

But diplomacy on both sides led to a simmering stalemate that lasted throughout Khan's premiership, with much praise going to the Pakistani leader for his professional and peaceful conduct. Khan won a seat in parliament in 2002, but his party mostly languished in the political wilderness. They had urged Khan to resign ahead of the vote. Khan said he had been singled out by the US because, unlike his opponents, he couldn't "easily be used as a puppet by the West," with regard to an independent foreign policy. The Supreme Court's Thursday decision paved the way for Khan's removal from office. No prime minister has ever completed a full five-year term under the present constitution of 1973.

Brief profiles of key opposition leaders as Khan becomes first Pakistan premier removed through no-confidence vote.

The Oxford-educated 33-year-old is considered a progressive, in his mother’s image, and has frequently spoken out on the rights of women and minorities. The 67-year-old became co-chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) after the assassination of Bhutto in 2007, and became president of the country a year later in a power-sharing deal with the PML-N. The 70-year-old is a political heavyweight in his own right, however, having served as chief minister of Punjab, the family’s power base, and now as president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

The Pakistan parliament is holding a no-confidence vote in Prime Minister Imran Khan, which will lead to his ouster. Opponents accuse his government of ...

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The former cricket star has been ousted after a no-confidence motion against him in parliament.

Still, many see him as a saviour of the common man in the roles of a cricketer, philanthropist and politician. Imran Khan has been removed from the prime minister’s office in Pakistan after a no-confidence motion against him succeeded in parliament. The former cricket star has been ousted after a no-confidence motion against him in parliament.

Imran Khan was voted out as Pakistan's prime minister early on Sunday, ending weeks of political uncertainty that had fuelled a devaluation of the rupee, ...

Pakistan's now ousted PM appeared to give opposition ultimatum: agree to fresh elections or I'll bring in army.

He is expected to call elections in due course, likely to be held after October. Khan, who no longer held a parliamentary majority, lost by 174 votes, making him Pakistan’s first prime minister to be removed by a vote of no confidence. “These fake stories are being spread to mislead the public and create anarchy in the country. “Khan wanted to create a huge crisis to remain in power.” According to a report, Khan met with Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa, the army’s chief of staff, that night after trying to remove him earlier in the day. However, he failed to stop it happening, and in the final minutes before midnight on Saturday, he was ousted from office.

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — Pakistanis woke up Sunday feeling whiplashed by a political crisis that had barely been averted. While relieved at the peaceful ending ...

The other rallying cry that Khan has increasingly used to his advantage is anti-Americanism, and it is already emerging as a major theme in his likely attempts at a political comeback. First, he managed to cancel a parliamentary vote of no confidence in him by charging that rival legislators were backed by a “foreign conspiracy.” But U.S. influence has long been a political rallying cry in Pakistan and is likely to remain so. “He spoke of creating a true democracy and an ideal society, but instead his major legacy was to leave society divided and the economy in ruins. “Khan proved to be a demagogue who did little to address serious issues,” Amir said. On Sunday night, many protesters at pro-Khan rallies shouted, “America’s friends are traitors,” referring to Pakistani politicians who opposed Khan. When the elections are held again, we know he will bounce back with even more power.” Khan did not appear in person at any rally, but he sent out a stream of exhilarated tweets as they continued to spread. By wooing disgruntled Khan allies, his opponents mustered enough votes in parliament to bring him down. Khan has also made it clear he wants to seek office again. Televised footage showed thousands of people mingling in city plazas, dancing, clapping and chanting, “Who will save Pakistan? Imran Khan, Imran Khan.” “Imran felt he was above the law and the constitution.