Imran Khan’s ouster in Pakistan: A quick recap

The dramatic removal of Imran Khan has once again set in motion the process to elect a new leader of Pakistan. Opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif is likely to be elected the new PM.

The story so far: After weeks of political turmoil, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was removed from office through a no-confidence vote in the early hours of April 10. No Pakistan PM has completed their full term since Independence, although the 69-year-old Mr. Khan is the first to be removed through a no-confidence vote. Earlier, two separate no-trust motions failed respectively against former Premiers Benazir Bhutto in 1989 and Shaukat Aziz in 2006. 

Mr. Khan surged to power in 2018 with the military’s support but recently lost his parliamentary majority when allies quit his coalition government. He also reportedly lost the support of the powerful Army after he refused to endorse the appointment of the ISI spy agency chief last year.

The dramatic sequence of events began on March 8 when the Opposition tabled a no-confidence motion against the Imran Khan government in the National Assembly. Reason: The Opposition levelled charges of corruption and economic mismanagement against the government battling depleting foreign exchange reserves and double-digit inflation.

In response, Mr. Khan called the Opposition’s move motion against him the result of a “foreign conspiracy.” He claimed that he was not acceptable for following an independent foreign policy. 

In his address to the public, the cricketer-turned-politician reiterated his allegations that a senior U.S. diplomat was involved in this conspiracy to topple his government. Taking note, Speaker Asad Qaiser summoned the National Assembly session on March 25 to deliberate whether Mr. Khan still enjoyed majority support in the House. On the day of voting on the no-confidence motion (April 3), Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri, who is associated with Mr. Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, dismissed the motion as he termed it to be against the Constitution and rules of Pakistan. Mr. Khan was widely expected to lose the no-confidence motion.

The crisis snowballed when President Ari Alvi dissolved the 342-member National Assembly on the advice of the Prime Minister. Prepare for elections, Mr. Khan announced.

Dubbing the move unconstitutional, the Opposition parties soon moved the Supreme Court. The SC took a suo motu cognisance of the political situation in the country and said all orders and actions initiated by the Prime Minister and the President regarding the dissolution of the National Assembly will be subject to the court’s order.