The political opposition won the vote after several of Imran Khan’s allies and a key coalition party ousted him. The combined opposition will now form the new government. The assembly will also appoint a new prime minister, who will be in power until October 2023, when the next elections are to be held. Speaking ahead of Saturday’s vote, former cricket star Khan said he would not recognize an opposition government if ousted. “I will not accept an incoming government. “I am ready for a fight,” he said. He had previously called the vote a “foreign-funded drama” and called on the public to protest. Voting was postponed 13 hours before MPs began voting on Saturday. Opposition parties were able to secure 174 votes in the 342-member parliament to support the proposal, said Ayaz Sadiq, speaker of the presidency. In scenes of intense drama earlier in the day, the speaker of the lower house of parliament resigned, saying: “The interests of the country must be the priority.” The start of the vote was announced by an opposition MP, who took over the vacant position of speaker, Reuters reported. Imran Khan called the vote a “foreign conspiracy against Pakistan.” He becomes the first Prime Minister of Pakistan to be ousted by a vote of confidence. Lawmakers tried to table the motion of censure in parliament last Sunday, but were blocked by a member of Mr Khan’s political party. Opposition groups called for the beleagured PM to resign. On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that the vote of no confidence should be held. The proposal was due to go ahead on Saturday morning, but parliament was adjourned for an hour and a half as Mr Khan was absent. Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan’s televised speech comes a day after the country’s Supreme Court overturned a government move to block a no-confidence vote (EPA) Pakistan’s opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday: “I hope in you [Speaker] will carry out the current procedure of the Parliament according to an order of the Supreme Court. “I urge you to support the Constitution and the law.” The powerful leader of the Pakistani army, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, reportedly met with Mr Khan on Saturday. The opposition and some analysts say Imran Khan has clashed with the military, a charge he and the military deny.
