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Home > World News > Timeline Of Events On How Pakistan P
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Timeline of events on
how Pakistan PM Imran
Khan lost his post in no-
confidence vote
Of 342-member National Assembly of Pakistan, as
many as 174 members voted in favour of the
motion. Members of the ruling PTI remained were
not present in the House during the voting18 August 2018: After almost two decades of his
foray into politics, former cricketer Imran Khan
was sworn in as the new prime minister of
Pakistan. He became the 22nd premier of the
country. His party - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf
(PTI) - emerged as the biggest parliamentary party
in the July polls, securing 116 seats in the 342-
member assembly and Khan became PM wilt the
help of smaller allies -- Pakistan Muslim League
(Q), Muttahida Qaumi Movement (seven members),
Balochistan Awami Party, Balochistan National
Party (Mengal), Grand Democratic Alliance, Awami
Muslim League, and Jamhoori Watan Party.
Khan’s win marked the end of decades of rotating
leadership between the Pakistan Muslim League
(Nawaz) PML-N and the Pakistan People’s Party
(PPP), punctuated by periods of military rule.3 March 2021: Opposition leader and former
premier Yusuf Raza Gilani defeated Pakistan’s
finance minister Abdul Hafeez Shaikh in elections
for the Senate, the upper house of Parliament.
This came as a major setback for Khan who had
personally campaigned for his Cabinet colleague.
The ruling PTI had claimed that it enjoyed a
majority of 182 members while 172 votes were
needed to elect the senator. “Yusuf Raza Gilani got
169 votes while Shaikh got 164 votes. Seven votes
were rejected. Total number of polled votes was
340,” the Election Commission of Pakistan had
announced.
6 March 2021: Imran Khan won the trust vote in
National Assembly following the defeat of his
finance minister, ending the political uncertainty
in the country. He secured 178 votes in the 342-
member lower house of Parliament.
The floor test took place without the Opposition as
the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), an
alliance of 11 parties, boycotted the vote. This
made it easier for Khan to secure the required
numbers.28 November, 2021: PPP stalwart Khursheed Shah,
indicating an in-house change in the Parliament,
said the Opposition would have enough numbers
to oust PM Imran Khan.
On December 24, 2021- PML-N leader Ayaz Sadiq
also hinted the Opposition was preparing for in-
house change.
11 January, 2022: PML-N stalwart Khawaja Asif
said the government had lost the majority; an in-
house change will be made.
18 January 2022: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto
Zardari said a no-confidence motion against the
Senate chairman would not oust the government
and the Opposition wants to send the PM home.
21 January 2022: Ayaz Sadiq said the Opposition is
ready for a no-confidence motion against PM, the
time would be decided later. On February 7, PML-
N and PPP officially discussed no-trust motion
against the premier.8 February 2022: Shahbaz presents the option of a
no-confidence motion against Imran Khan to
MOM-P. MOM-P leader Amir Khan announces to
furnish the request before the party's coordination
committee.
ui February 2022: Pakistan Democratic Movement
(PDM) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, on behalf of
the Opposition, announces to bring a no-
confidence motion against PM.
Meanwhile, PTI government did not take the
threat seriously and challenged the Opposition to
table the no-confidence motion.
8 March 2022: Pakistan’s Leader of the Opposition
and PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif tabled a no-
confidence motion in the National Assembly
against Khan, accusing his government of being
unable to handle the economic crisis in the
country.Sharif first moved a resolution to allow tabling of
the no-confidence motion, which was approved by
161 yes votes.
12 March 2022: Nawaz Sharif and disgruntled PTI
leader Aleem Khan discussed the no-trust motion
in London. Sheikh Rasheed and PML-Q leader
Moonis Elahi trade barbs as cracks in the
government's coalition appear visible.
19 March 2022: Khan issued show-cause notices
to dissent PTI lawmakers for alleged defection and
sought an explanation from them by 26 March,
asking why they may not be declared defectors
and disqualified as a member of the NA.
Nearly two dozen dissident lawmakers of the
ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf party recently
came out in the open ahead of voting on a no-
confidence motion against Prime Minister Khan,
with the government accusing opposition parties
of horse-trading.20 March 2022: Speaker Speaker Asad Qaiser
summoned a National Assembly session on 25
March to take up the no-trust motion against
Khan.
“Pakistan’s National Assembly Speaker Asad
Qaiser has summoned a session of the Lower
House at the Parliament House in Islamabad on
Friday at 11 am,” Radio Pakistan had reported.
21 March 2022: The Pakistan government filed a
reference for the interpretation of Article 63(A) in
the Supreme Court.
23 March 2022: Khan said he would not resign
even as three allies indicated that they would vote
against his government.
“T will not resign under any circumstances. I will
play till the last ball... and I will surprise them [the
Opposition] a day before as they are still under
pressure," Khan had said, without revealing
further details.25 March 2022: Pakistan’s National Assembly
session was adjourned without the tabling of the
no-trust motion against Khan.
Speaker Qaiser said that the session was
adjourned until 4 pm on 28 March due to the
demise of PTI lawmaker Khayal Zaman. According
to Pakistan’s parliamentary conventions, the first
sitting after the death of a lawmaker is limited to
prayers for the departed soul and tributes from
fellow lawmakers.
Opposition leaders protested against the
adjournment of the session.
27 March 2022: At a massive rally in Islamabad,
Imran Khan claimed foreign powers were behind
the “conspiracy” to overthrow his government.
Addressing a rally attended by thousands of
supporters who were bussed in from around the
country, the PM claimed he was the subject of a
“foreign conspiracy” aimed at dislodging his
government and that “funding was being
channelled into Pakistan from abroad”.28 March 2022: PML-N president Shehbaz Sharif
tabled the no-trust motion against Khan, setting
in motion the process in the lower house to
remove the embattled cricketer-turned-politician
from office.
Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri asked the
members of the Parliament, who are in favour of
the motion, to stand up to that their numbers
could be counted. Sharif first moved a resolution
to allow tabling of the no-confidence motion in
the NA, which was approved by 161 yes votes.
30 March 2022: Khan lost the majority after
MOM-P, a key ally of the PTI-led coalition
government, sided with the Opposition. The
MOQM-P announced that it has parted ways with
the government during a joint press conference of
the opposition parties in Islamabad.
“We want to make a new beginning for politics of
tolerance and true democracy,” MOM-P chief
Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui told reporters.31 March 2022: The Pakistan Parliament met to
debate the no-trust motion. The assembly
secretariat issued a 24-point agenda for the
session and the no-confidence motion was fourth
on the list.
The session was adjourned abruptly until 3 April
after opposition lawmakers demanded an
immediate vote on the motion.
1 April 2022: Imran Khan said that he had credible
information about his life was in danger, while
stating that he was not afraid and would continue
his fight for an independent and democratic
nation. He further said that early elections were
the best option if he survived the no-confidence
motion.3 April 2022: The day will go down as one of the
most dramatic days in the recent history of
Pakistan politics. Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri
blocked the no-trust motion against the PM and
Pakistan President Arif Alvi dissolved the National
Assembly on the advice of Khan.
The Opposition was stunned and said they would
challenge the order in the Pakistan Supreme
Court.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Umar Ata Bandial said
that all orders and actions initiated by the prime
minister and president regarding the dissolution
of the National Assembly would be subject to the
court's order, Dawn reported.
However, in a dramatic move, the Opposition
approved the no-confidence motion against Khan
in its own session of Parliament after it was
dissolved by the president and declared that the
no-trust motion was “successful” with nearly 200
votes.4 April 2022: Chief Justice Bandial said on Monday
that the apex court would issue a “reasonable
order” on the legality of the current situation in
the country. During the hearing today, the court
rejected a plea by Farooq H. Naek, who is
representing the PPP and other opposition
parties, to form a full-court bench to hear the
matter.
April 7 2020: The Supreme Court in Pakistan
restored the National Assembly, declared the
government's decision to dissolve the assembly
and Qasim Suri's ruling against the Constitution.
It also orders NA Speaker Asad Qaiser to call an
assembly session on Saturday.
April 8 2020: A day before the house was set to
vote on the no-confidence motion, Imran Khan
said he will not tolerate the installation of a
"foreign government" and will turn to the public
for support if such a thing happens.April 9-10, 2022: PTI's elected speaker Asad
Qaiser summoned the session for the vote on the
no-confidence motion at 10:30 am. Imran Khan-
led PTI tried delaying the vote throughout the
session. However, minutes before the clock struck
12, Qaiser resigned and handed over his seat to
Ayaz Sadiq to chair the session on the no-trust
motion.
After Sadig took over the speaker's seat 174
members of the Opposition voted in favour of the
motion leading to Imran Khan's removal from the
Prime Minister's Office.
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