Imran Khan was removed from the post of Prime Minister of Pakistan after 174 MLAs voted against him in a no-confidence motion on Sunday morning.
The vote came after the Speaker of the House resigned saying he could not oversee the removal of his close aide of 30 years, and after Khan's own lawmakers delayed voting throughout Saturday, only past midnight. Close voting was allowed. Before the discussion of the vote began, all of Khan's aides left the chamber.
The Supreme Court had ordered voting after Saturday after dismissing Khan's earlier attempt to dissolve Parliament in an attempt to stall the polls, terming it unconstitutional.
In an impassioned speech on Friday, Khan reiterated his allegations that his opponents colluded with the United States to oust him over his foreign policy choices, which often sided with China and Russia and the U.S.
Khan said Washington protested his February 24 meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin, hours after tanks rolled into Ukraine, triggering a devastating war in the heart of Europe.
The US State Department has denied any involvement in Pakistan's internal politics. "There is no truth to these allegations," State Department deputy spokeswoman Jalina Porter told reporters on Friday.
Nevertheless, Khan urged his supporters to take to the streets, especially the youth who have been the backbone of his support since the former cricket star's conservative Islamic politician came to power in 2018. He said he needed to defend the sovereignty of Pakistan and oppose the American dictatorship. ,
He said, "You have to come out to protect your future. It is you who have to defend your democracy, your sovereignty and your freedom. It is your duty." "I will not accept an imposed government."
Khan has limited options and if he sees a large turnout in support, he may be trying to keep up the momentum of street protests as a way of pressuring him to dissolve parliament and hold early elections. can.
The defeat of the no-confidence vote for Khan could throw some unlikely partners to power.
One of them is a fundamentally religious party that runs several religious schools. The Jamiat-e-Ulema-Islam, or the Assembly of Clerics, teaches a deeply conservative brand of Islam in its schools. Many of Afghanistan's Taliban and Pakistan's own violent Taliban have graduated from JUI schools.
The Pakistan People's Party, led by the son of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, and the Pakistan Muslim League - the largest of the opposition parties - have been tainted by allegations of widespread corruption.
Pakistan Muslim League leader and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was convicted of corruption after his name appeared in the so-called Panama Papers. It is a collection of leaked secret financial documents that show how some of the world's richest hide their money and involve a global law firm based in Panama. Sharif was disqualified from assuming office by the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
If the opposition wins the no-confidence vote, it is up to Parliament to elect a new head of government, who could be Sharif's brother, Shahbaz Sharif. If the MLAs fail, elections will be held soon.