Pakistan PM Imran Khan out, announce new PM tomorrow

Pakistan’s embattled Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday night lost a crucial trust vote, which means that the cricketer-turned-politician seizes to be the Prime Minister. Pakistan PM Imran Khan out, announce new PM tomorrow.

As many as 174 votes were polled against Khan, 2 more than the required number of 172 votes, in 344-member strong assembly. Earlier, the member of Imran Khan-led PTI staged a walkout in Pakistan’s national assembly after Speaker Asad Qaisar resigned from his post. Late night, Pakistan PM Imran Khan held an emergency Cabinet meeting, that took many by surprise.

Reportedly, Army chief Gen Bajwa and the ISI chief have met with Imran Khan. The result of the meeting is not known yet. After the Supreme Court overturned his decision to dissolve parliament and ordered lawmakers to return to the lower chamber, one ally called the move a judicial coup and Khan said he would continue to fight “till the last ball”.

The 69-year-old Imran Khan joins a lengthening list of elected Pakistani premiers who have failed to see out their full terms; none has done so since independence in 1947. In 2018, the cricket legend who led Pakistan to its only World Cup win in 1992, rallied the country behind his vision of a corruption-free, prosperous country respected on the world stage.

But the firebrand nationalist`s fame and charisma were not enough to keep him in power. Ironically for a politician once criticised for being under the thumb of the powerful military establishment, his ouster comes amid signs of worsening relations between him and army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Also Read: Summer Vacation Cut: Shocking news for school students

The military, which has an outsized role in Pakistan having ruled the country for nearly half of its history and won control over some of its biggest economic institutions, has said it remains neutral towards politics. At a rally last month, as he was fighting for his political survival, Khan was widely seen to be referring to that position when he said: “Only animals remain neutral.”