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By Vineet Dikshit

Just after when it was mid-night in India, Pakistan’s parliament known as the National Assembly adopted a vote of no-confidence by a majority vote to remove Imran Khan as prime minister.

Around 2.35 am IST, when the Pakistan’s parliament was adjourned, it was announced that nomination papers proposing a new name for Pakistan’s next PM can be made till 2 pm PST (or 2.30 pm IST). 

If there are more than one candidates then formal election will take place on Monday morning otherwise a new figure as Pakistan’s prime minister will emerge by the afternoon on 10th April itself.

With a total membership of 342, Pakistan’s national assembly required 172 votes to either elect or remove a sitting prime minister.

During the vote of no confidence when votes were counted, the opposition sponsored resolution of vote of no-confidence was passed with 174 in favour against ‘nil’ votes.

The treasury benches in were empty as Imran Khan’s the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party which had by that moment seen the writing on the wall had left the voting chamber.

The crucial session of the house had in fact began earlier in the day at 10:30 am (11:00 IST).

Imran Khan tried to block a no-confidence motion last week and dissolved the lower house of parliament, but Pakistan’s top court ordered on Thursday the vote would have to be held by Saturday.

The PTI-led coalition was formed with the support of 179 members, with Imran Khan’s PTI having 155 members, and four major allies MQM-P, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and Grand Democratic Alliance (GDA) having seven, five, five and three members respectively.

The opposition party had moved the no-trust motion against the PM on March 8.
Imran Khan received a massive blow after the PTI lost its key ally Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P).

The MQM announced that it had struck a deal with the opposition Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and would support the no-trust vote.

The 22nd Pakistani Prime Minister has run out of favour with the Army known to call shots in the power game of Pakistan. Pakistan’s only World Cup winning cricket captain was pitchforked to the centre stage after former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif lost favours with the top brass of the Army.

Imran Khan Niazi is a former Pakistani cricketer, who after leading the country to victory in the 1992 World Cup Final, retired from cricket and joined politics. He is the founding Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.