Pakistan parliament to pick new PM after Khan ousted in no-confidence vote

Pakistan’s parliament has voted out Prime Minister Imran Khan in a no-confidence motion, capping a month-long political turmoil that gripped the nation.

As many as 174 lawmakers voted in favour of the no-trust motion on Saturday, two more than the required 172 for a simple majority in the 324-member National Assembly, the lower house of parliament.

Earlier, the speaker of the National Assembly, the lower house of parliament where the vote was to be held, had resigned - leaving the speaker's seat empty.

A start to the voting, which was to happen on Saturday on court orders, was announced by a legislator from the opposition, who took over the empty speaker's seat.

After the no-confidence vote, supporters of both Imran Khan and the opposition arrived at the parliament with opposition supporters cheering the results.

Small clashes erupted between the different parties which led to the police intervening. Pakistani security forces began to take measures to prevent bigger clashes.

Pakistan's acting speaker said on early Sunday that the parliament will vote to elect a new prime minister on Monday.

Ayaz Sadiq, presiding over the assembly session in the absence of the ruling party members and its designated speakers, said nomination papers for candidates should be filed by 11:00 am local time (0600 GMT) on Sunday.

'Contrary to constitution'

Khan lost his parliamentary majority last week and was on the verge of being forced from office by a no-confidence vote tabled by the opposition on Sunday.

But the deputy speaker of parliament, a member of Khan's party, threw out the motion, ruling it was part of a foreign conspiracy and unconstitutional. Khan then dissolved parliament.

A five-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial termed the dissolution of the National Assembly on Sunday “contrary to the constitution,” and declared the move “null and void.”

On Thursday, the Supreme Court of Pakistan set aside the deputy speaker's ruling to dismiss a no-trust resolution against Khan and the subsequent dissolution of the lower house of parliament by the president on the premier's advice.

The apex court, in a unanimous judgment, ordered the speaker to summon a session of parliament on April 9 and hold a vote on the no-trust motion.

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