Imran Khan bowled out in midnight super over

Imran Khan was ousted as Pakistan Prime Minister as he lost a crucial no-confidence vote late on Saturday night after days of political strife in the country.

Voting on the no-confidence motion against Khan was held with PML-N’s Ayaz Sadiq chairing the session.

Minutes before the session of the house resumed after a break of over three hours, and multiple adjournments through the day, National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser resigned from his post, saying he could not take part in a foreign conspiracy to oust the prime minister. “In line with our laws and the need to stand for our country, I have decided that I can’t remain on the position of speaker and thereby resign,” Qaiser said announcing his decision to resign along with deputy speaker, Qasim Suri.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) was set to take up a petition on Saturday night, asking the court to restrain Khan from de-notifying General Qamar Jawed Bajwa as the chief of army staff (COAS), Dawn reported, soon after the two met.

Meanwhile, an alert has been issued at airports across the country. No government official was allowed to leave the country without a no-objection certificate, reports suggested.

Khan, who claimed a foreign conspiracy to topple his government, also held an emergency meeting of his Cabinet at around 9 pm on Saturday night, hours before the National Assembly was scheduled to reconvene to take up the no-trust vote.

Lawmakers from the treasury and opposition benches in the National Assembly clashed after the lower house of Parliament convened on Saturday morning to take up the no-trust vote that was rejected by deputy speaker Qasim Suri on April 3. The opposition accused members from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party of wasting time ahead of the vote.

Khan, 69, suffered a massive setback on Thursday, when the Supreme Court ordered the restoration of Parliament that was dissolved by President Arif Alvi on the premier’s recommendation and also the convening of a parliamentary session to conduct the trust vote. The former cricket star said he wouldn’t cooperate with any incoming administration and asked his supporters to take to the streets.

The National Assembly session was adjourned a second time late on Saturday afternoon and lawmakers were slated to gather again late in the night following the iftar meal and evening prayers. Top judges of the Islamabad high court and the Supreme Court too went to their offices late in the night amid reports that they were expected to hear urgent cases.

Khan has lost his majority in the 342-seat House through defections by coalition partners and members of his own party. Opposition leaders released a list of 176 lawmakers that would back the vote of no confidence, four more than needed for its success.

Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) leader Shehbaz Sharif is the candidate of the combined opposition to replace Khan.

When the House convened on Saturday, Sharif insisted on an immediate vote as ordered by the Supreme Court but PTI lawmakers and the speaker called for a discussion on Khan’s claims that there was a “foreign conspiracy” against the government. These claims are based on a diplomatic cable sent by Pakistan’s former envoy to the US on the basis of a meeting with a senior state department official, who reportedly said bilateral ties were unlikely to improve under Khan’s leadership.

“You will run proceedings of the House under the order of the Supreme Court,” said a furious Sharif. “Parliament is going to write a new history. Today, the parliament is going to defeat a...prime minister.”

Pakistan People’s Party leader Asif Ali Zardari said the only thing sought by the opposition was a “vote, vote, vote and nothing but a vote”. He said the speaker would face contempt of court if he stymied a trust vote. The opposition, Zardari said, was prepared to sit and talk to everyone expect for “one individual” – a reference to Khan.

A heavy security blanket was thrown over the heart of Islamabad on Saturday, with thousands of police and paramilitary personnel on the streets and a ring of steel containers blocking access to the government enclave.