Imran Khan Ousted as Prime Minister of Pakistan

The now former PM said earlier that foreign powers were behind the motion to depose him, apparently due to the foreign policy they do not “approve of”, such as Pakistan's ties with Russia and China and its stance in the UN.

Imran Khan has been ousted as Pakistani prime minister through a no-confidence vote, local media reported on Saturday.

Shortly before the vote, the speaker of the National Assembly (lower house of Pakistan’s parliament), Asad Qaiser, resigned, explaining that “he cannot participate in a foreign conspiracy to remove Khan.”

Last Sunday, the vice speaker of Pakistan’s parliament rejected a vote of no confidence in Khan, calling it unconstitutional. Shortly thereafter, the president, at the suggestion of then-PM Khan, dissolved the parliament. The decision to cancel the no-confidence vote and dissolve parliament caused discontent among opposition parties, who challenged the decision in court.

Opposition parties have blamed Khan’s government for soaring inflation, while Khan said that opposition leaders were trying to get rid of him because he did not want to put up with their alleged corruption.

In late March, Khan said in a live TV address to the nation about a ”threatening” letter reportedly forwarded to Islamabad via Pakistan’s envoy in the US, which he said was “evidence” of a “foreign conspiracy” to topple his government and undermine Pakistan's “independent foreign policy.”

He also said foreign powers wanted to oust him due to his visit to Russia on 24 February, when Moscow launched a special military operation in Ukraine.

On April 1, media reported that Pakistani intelligence had uncovered a plot to assassinate Khan. Earlier, the president of the ruling party Tehreek-e-Insaf claimed that Khan was being targeted in a conspiracy for his refusal to “sell” the country.

The Parliament of Pakistan will vote to select a new prime minister on Monday, April 11, according to local media.