Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan ousted in no-trust vote

Opposition wins 174 votes in the 342-member National Assembly; Mr. Khan is the first Pakistan Prime Minister to be voted out through a no-confidence motion

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan lost a crucial no-trust vote in the National Assembly past midnight on Saturday, becoming the first Premier in the country’s history to be removed through a no-confidence motion.

Mr. Khan, 69, was not present in the Lower House at the time of voting. His party lawmakers staged a walkout.

The joint Opposition — a rainbow of socialist, liberal and radically religious parties — secured the support of 174 members in the 342-member National Assembly, more than the needed strength of 172 to oust the prime minister on a day full of drama and multiple adjournments of the Lower House.

No Prime Minister in Pakistan's history was ever ousted through a no-confidence motion. Mr. Khan is the first Premier whose fate was decided through a trust vote.

Also, no Pakistani Prime Minister has ever completed a full five-year term in office.

The Opposition had filed the no-confidence motion on March 8, setting a set of events leading to the day of voting and rise in the tension due to Mr. Khan’s insistence that he was being targeted as part of a “foreign conspiracy” with the collaboration of top Opposition leaders.

Mr. Khan, who came to power in 2018 with promises to create a ‘Naya Pakistan’, was dogged by claims of economic mismanagement as his Government battled depleting foreign exchange reserves and double-digit inflation.