Imran Khan was removed from the post of Prime Minister of Pakistan after a crucial vote -Pakistan no-confidence vote

 Imran Khan was removed from the post of Prime Minister of Pakistan after a crucial vote.Pakistan no-confidence vote

Vote of no-confidence Pakistan result

Vote of no-confidence Pakistan result

Imran Khan has become the first Pakistani Prime Minister to be ousted by a no-confidence vote.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan has been ousted from power after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership.

Voting took place after midnight when opposition parties filed a motion against him, which was upheld by the Supreme Court.

Mr Khan had said he would not recognize the opposition government, claiming - without proof - that there was a US-led conspiracy to oust him.

The assembly will now appoint a new prime minister.

Pakistan's parliament will meet on Monday to vote on the country's new leader.

That person will remain in power until October 2023, when the next elections are due.

Ayaz Sadiq, who is in charge of the National Assembly when there are no members of the ruling party or the nominated speaker, said that the nomination papers of the candidates should be submitted on Sunday by 11:00 am local time (06:00 GMT).

Mr Khan is the first Pakistani prime minister to be ousted by a no-confidence vote.

The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that Mr Khan, 69, had acted unconstitutionally when he blocked a no-confidence vote and dissolved parliament.

This infuriated many members of the opposition, some accusing the Prime Minister of treason.

Minutes before voting began, the speaker of Pakistan's lower house - Mr Khan's ally - announced his resignation. Members of Mr Khan's party (PTI) left the building, saying he was the victim of an international conspiracy.

Opposition parties won 174 votes in favor of the no-confidence motion in the 342-member lower house, which was made the majority vote, the speaker said.

In a tweet, opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif said that Pakistan and its parliament had "finally emerged from a serious crisis".

Mr Sharif added: "Happy new dawn to the Pakistani nation."

Meanwhile, PTI Senator Faisal Javed Khan said the 69-year-old "walked out beautifully from his prime minister's residence and did not bow down".

The senator added that Mr Khan had "lifted the whole nation".

What is the reason for the downfall of Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan?

The former captain of Pakistan's national cricket team was elected prime minister in 2018, and he promised to fight corruption and fix the economy.

But with a country in financial crisis, these promises have not been fulfilled.

A series of defections in late March deprived him of his majority and left him fighting for his political career.

The BBC's Sikandar Kirmani says Mr Khan is widely believed to have come to power with the help of the Pakistani military, but now observers say he is out of power.

Mr Khan has repeatedly said that Pakistan's opposition parties are working with foreign powers. It also claims that it is the target of a US-led plot to oust Russia and China over its refusal to stand with Washington on issues.

The United States has said there is "no truth" in the allegations and that Mr Khan has never provided any evidence.

He traveled to Moscow to meet with President Vladimir Putin at a time when Russia was invading Ukraine, and the Bush administration had previously criticized the war on terror.

Five things to know about Imran Khan (from 2018)

Saturday's vote came as opposition lawmakers moved a no-confidence motion in parliament last Sunday in an attempt to oust Mr Khan.

But Qasim Suri, deputy speaker of parliament - a member of Mr Khan's political party - quickly blocked the vote, saying it was a sign of "foreign interference". Mr Suri also said it was unconstitutional to demand loyalty to the state.

Mr Khan's government dissolved parliament and called for immediate elections. This angered many members of the opposition, some accusing the prime minister of treason in order to block the vote.

Opposition figures have filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking review of the situation.

On Thursday, Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled that Mr Khan's decision to block the vote was unconstitutional. He ordered that the no-confidence motion be re-run.

However, the voting deadlock continued until Saturday evening, with the speaker of the lower house of parliament - Asad Qaiser - an ally of Mr Khan, resigning.