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Pakistan Crisis Highlights: PM Modi congratulates new Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif

Pakistan Political Crisis Highlights, New Pak Prime Minister to be Elected Today, Shah Mahmood Qureshi vs Shehbaz Sharif News, 11 April 2022: Ahead of the voting to elect the new Pakistan Prime Minister, Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) boycotted the procedure.

cpec, shehbaz sharif, china pakistan relationsPakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif. Sharif's business-friendly policies have deepened economic cooperation with China and facilitated foreign direct investment in the country.(File Photo: REUTERS/ Represenational)

Imran Khan No-Trust Vote Highlights: Soon after leader of Opposition in Pakistan Parliament Shehbaz Sharif was elected the new prime minister, his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi congratulated him on his post. “Congratulations to H. E. Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on his election as the Prime Minister of Pakistan. India desires peace and stability in a region free of terror, so that we can focus on our development challenges and ensure the well-being and prosperity of our people,” he wrote on Twitter.
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Live Blog

Pakistan Political Crisis Live Updates: Opposition parties nominate PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif as PM candidate; Shah Mahmood Qureshi to take him on as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf candidate; Follow this space for all live updates:

22:22 (IST)11 Apr 2022
PM Modi congratulates new Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif

Soon after leader of Opposition in Pakistan Parliament Shehbaz Sharif was elected the new prime minister, his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi congratulated him on his post. “Congratulations to H. E. Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on his election as the Prime Minister of Pakistan. India desires peace and stability in a region free of terror, so that we can focus on our development challenges and ensure the well-being and prosperity of our people,” he wrote on Twitter.

19:51 (IST)11 Apr 2022
Shehbaz Sharif: 'Want good ties with India, but durable peace not possible without solving Kashmir'

In his address to Pakistan Parliament after being elected as the country’s 23rd prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif on Monday said he wanted “good relations” India, but also brought up the Kashmir issue.

“We want good relations with India but a durable peace can’t be possible without Kashmir’s solution,” Shehbaz was quoted as saying by Reuters.


Terming his predecessor Imran Khan’s “foreign conspiracy to ouster government” claims as “drama”, Shehbaz vowed to resign if Imran’s allegations were proved. Read full story here


19:27 (IST)11 Apr 2022
Sharif calls on Modi to resolve Kashmir dispute

"I'll advise PM Modi to understand that there is poverty on both sides. I call upon Modi to come and resolve the Jammu and Kashmir issue and then let's fight poverty together," ANI quoted newly elected Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif as saying.

19:26 (IST)11 Apr 2022
Want good ties with India, cannot happen without peaceful resolution of Kashmir dispute: Sharif

"We want good ties with India but it cannot happen without a peaceful resolution to the Kashmir question. We will raise the issue of Kashmir on every international platform," ANI quoted newly elected Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif as saying.

18:26 (IST)11 Apr 2022
Faux Pas in Pak Parliament: Speaker confuses Shehbaz Sharif with Nawaz Sharif

Speaker of Pakistan National Assembly confuses Shehbaz Sharif with brother Nawaz Sharif.

18:11 (IST)11 Apr 2022
Will resign and go home if conspiracy proved: Sharif

"I will resign and go home if conspiracy is proved in letter controversy," Sharif said in Parliament after his election as Pakistan PM.

18:10 (IST)11 Apr 2022
Pakistan's National Security Committee would be briefed on controversial letter: Sharif

Terming Imran Khan's "foreign conspiracy" claims as "drama", Sharif said Pakistan's National Security Committee would be briefed on controversial letter related to so-called foreign conspiracy.

18:08 (IST)11 Apr 2022
Good has prevailed over evil: Shehbaz Sharif after being elected as Pak PM

After being elected as Pakistan PM, Shehbaz Sharif said good has prevailed over evil. 

17:55 (IST)11 Apr 2022
Shehbaz Sharif elected new prime minister

PML-N leader Shehbaz Shariff was elected as the new Pakistan Prime Minister through a voting in Pakistan National Assembly, reported Dawn newspaper. Ahead of the voting, Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) boycotted the procedure. PTI PM candidate Shah Mahmood Qureshi announced the boycott of voting to elect new Pakistan premier. The PTI lawmakers resigned from the Parliament and staged a walkout.

17:18 (IST)11 Apr 2022
In Parliament, Qureshi announces boycott of voting to elect new Pakistan premier

Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who was named by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as its candidate, announced boycott  of voting to elect new Pakistan premier. The PTI lawmakers resigned from the Parliament and staged a walkout.

16:40 (IST)11 Apr 2022
Imran Khan-led PTI boycotts election of Pakistan PM

Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf boycotted the election of new Pakistan PM adn walked out of the Parliament. 

16:20 (IST)11 Apr 2022
National Assembly session to elect new prime minister begins

The Pakistan National Assembly session for election of a new prime minister has commenced with Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri in the chair. Pakistan’s Opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif is likely to bag the top post after being nominated for it following the ouster of Imran Khan.

15:24 (IST)11 Apr 2022
'We are resigning,' says Imran Khan

Ousted Pakistan PM Imran Khan says, "We are resigning." Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmakers will resign from National Assembly and fight for freedom, confirms Imran Khan's aide Fawad Chaudhry.

15:09 (IST)11 Apr 2022
Visuals from outside Pakistan National Assembly in Islamabad

After Imran Khan lost the trust vote on Saturday midnight, the Pakistan National Assembly is set to elect a new Prime Minister today.

13:23 (IST)11 Apr 2022
Names of six Imran Khan aides added to stop list: Report

The names of six key aides of ousted prime minister Imran Khan have been put on a stop list by Pakistan's top investigation agency to prevent them from leaving the country, according to a media report on Monday. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) placed the names of the six on the "stop list' on Sunday after Khan's ouster as prime minister by the joint Opposition through a no-confidence vote, Geo News reported, citing sources. Being on the list bars them from travelling abroad without permission. Khan's former principal secretary Azam Khan, ex-special assistant on political communication Shahbaz Gill, ex-adviser on interior and accountability Shahzad Akbar, Director-General Punjab Gohar Nafees, and DG Federal Investigation Agency Punjab Zone Mohammad Rizwan's names have been added to the list, the report said. Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf's head of social media Arsalan Khalid's name has also been added to the list.

The FIA had introduced a system of "stop list" in 2003 to stop unwanted people from trying to leave the country in the shortest possible time as placing someone's name on the Exit Control List takes a longer time. (PTI)

12:15 (IST)11 Apr 2022
Nawaz Sharif to return to Pakistan after Eid: PML-N leader

Deposed Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to return from London next month after Eid, a senior PML-N leader has said, amid a whirlwind of political developments that have embroiled the country following Imran Khan's ignominious ouster from power.

Mian Javed Latif said a decision on PML-N supremo and the three-time prime minister Sharif's anticipated return will be discussed with the coalition partners. All decisions would be first brought up with constituent parties of the coalition, The Express Tribune newspaper quoted him as saying.

Eid will be celebrated in the first week of May. Several corruption cases had been launched by the government of ex-prime minister Khan against the 72-year-old supremo of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz since his ouster from the office by the Supreme Court in July 2017 in the Panama Papers case. Sharif in November 2019 left for London after the Lahore High Court granted him a four-week permission allowing him to go abroad for his treatment. (PTI)

11:26 (IST)11 Apr 2022
Imran Khan thanks supporters for protests

Imran Khan has thanked his supporters for their participation in rallies held across Pakistan and abroad to protest against his ouster as prime minister and the formation of a "US-backed regime" in Islamabad. Protest rallies were held in different Pakistani cities after 9 pm on Sunday and continued for several hours on the call of Khan. “Thank you to all Pakistanis for their amazing outpouring of support & emotions to protest against US-backed regime change abetted by local Mir Jafars to bring into power a coterie of pliable crooks all out on bail. Shows Pakistanis at home & abroad have emphatically rejected this,” Khan tweeted on Sunday. Earlier on Sunday, ousted prime minister Khan tweeted that “today marked the beginning of a freedom struggle” against what he said was a “foreign conspiracy of regime change” in Pakistan. In an attempt to galvanise his supporters, he said “it is always the people who protect their own sovereignty and democracy”.

10:55 (IST)11 Apr 2022
New dawn has started for Pakistan: Shehbaz Sharif

After submitting his nomination to the legislature, Shehbaz Sharif said Imran Khan’s departure was a chance for a new beginning in Pakistan. Shehbaz, the centrist Pakistan Muslim League-N party chief, is widely expected to be named the country’s new prime minister on Monday. “A new dawn has started … This alliance will rebuild Pakistan,” Shehbaz told parliament on Sunday. His first tasks will be to repair relations with the powerful military as well as the United States, and tend to a faltering economy.

10:37 (IST)11 Apr 2022
Who is Shah Mahmood Qureshi, nominated for Pakistan’s PM by Imran Khan?

Amidst the political turmoil in Pakistan, the country’s former Foreign Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party’s Vice-President Shah Mahmood Qureshi filed his nomination for the position of Prime Minister, after Imran Khan was ousted from the post through a no-confidence vote for the first time in the country. Qureshi’s nomination was proposed by Amir Dogar and seconded by Maleeka Bokhari. But, who is he? Read More

10:21 (IST)11 Apr 2022
India-Pakistan ties may see ‘diplomatic opening’

With Shehbaz Sharif set to be the next Pakistan Prime Minister, New Delhi is watching the developments in Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Lahore with “cautious optimism” about a headway in bilateral ties. Top sources said the change in regime may offer a “diplomatic opening”. According to sources in the strategic establishment, the implications may be far-reaching. Read our Explainer to get a detailed understanding of how the bilateral ties may evolve.

09:50 (IST)11 Apr 2022
It’s Shehbaz Sharif vs Shah Mahmood Qureshi today

Pakistan’s Opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif was nominated for the post of prime minister after the ouster of Imran Khan, whose party threatened to withdraw its lawmakers from Parliament if the former Punjab chief minister was allowed to contest the election for the top post on Monday.

The joint Opposition – a rainbow of socialist, liberal and radically religious parties – named 70-year-old Sharif for the premier’s post while ex-foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was named by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as its candidate. The PTI has decided to withdraw its lawmakers from the National Assembly and launch a movement against the new upcoming government, which is likely to be headed by Sharif, who has served as the Chief Minister of Punjab three times.

09:43 (IST)11 Apr 2022
Welcome back to our Live Blog!

Good Morning and welcome back to our Live Blog. We will be taking you through today's election process at the Pakistan National Assembly as Pakistan’s Opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif is all set to become the next Prime Minister. Follow this space for all latest updates

22:16 (IST)10 Apr 2022
Imran’s PTI threatens to withdraw lawmakers, launch stir against new govt

 Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has decided to withdraw its lawmakers from the National Assembly and launch a movement against the new upcoming government, which is likely to be headed by Shehbaz Sharif, who has served as the Chief Minister of Punjab three times.

“The core committee has recommended to Khan that we should resign from the assemblies. We are starting from the National Assembly. If our objections against Sharif’s nomination papers are not [entertained], we will submit the resignations tomorrow,” PTI leader and former minister Fawad Chaudhry told reporters after the party held a core committee meeting at the residence of Khan. (PTI)

22:03 (IST)10 Apr 2022
Shehbaz Sharif's son to appear before special court in money laundering case on April 11

Hamza Shehbaz, son of PML-N president and joint Opposition's prime ministerial candidate Shehbaz Sharif, is scheduled to appear before a special court in a high-profile money laundering case on Monday.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) special court on April 4 summoned Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz, his son Hamza and others for indictment in money-laundering and sugar scam on April 11.

Shehbaz's counsel advocate Amjad Pervez told PTI on Sunday that his client would file an exemption from personal appearance in the FIA special court on Monday in the money laundering proceedings.

"Mr Sharif is in Islamabad to contest the prime minister election on Monday. Therefore, the court will be requested to defer the indictment," he said. When asked whether Hamza, a chief ministerial nominee for Punjab chief minister, would be indicted, the lawyer said: "The indictment is made on all suspects." (PTI)

21:33 (IST)10 Apr 2022
Shehbaz Sharif 'better' for China-Pak ties than Imran Khan: Chinese official media

Chinese official media on Sunday sounded upbeat about the prospects of Shehbaz Sharif becoming the new prime minister following the ouster of Imran Khan, saying all-weather ties between China and Pakistan "could be better than under Khan".

A new Pakistan government will be formed most likely under Shehbaz, the younger brother of three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, after Parliament reconvenes on Monday to vote for a new premier, a write up in the state-run Global Times said.

"Chinese and Pakistani analysts consider that the solid China-Pakistan relations will not be affected by the internal political change in Pakistan because to safeguard and develop the bilateral ties is the joint consensus of all parties and all groups in Pakistan,” it said.

"The potential successor of Khan is from the Sharif family which has been promoting China-Pakistan ties for a long time, and cooperation between the two countries could be even better than under Khan," it said, adding that close ties between the two countries were better under the traditional political parties. (PTI)

20:31 (IST)10 Apr 2022
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf lawmakers would resign if Shehbaz contests PM's election: Chaudhry

Ousted premier Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf announced on Sunday that its lawmakers would resign on Monday if Opposition candidate Shehbaz Sharif was allowed to contest election of the prime minister.

The announcement was made by senior party leader and former information minister Fawad Chaudhry while addressing the media after the meeting of PTI's Core Committee chaired by Khan. "If our objections on Shehbaz Sharif's (nomination) papers are not addressed then we will resign tomorrow," he said, adding that it was decided at the meeting. (PTI)

19:25 (IST)10 Apr 2022
Shehbaz's name proposed by PPP co-chair Asif Ali Zaradri

Ex-president and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) co-chair Asif Ali Zaradri had proposed Shehbaz's name for prime minister in a joint opposition's meeting. Zardari's son Bilawal Bhutto is likely to be appointed as the new foreign minister.

According to media reports, in the run up to the no-trust vote, Khan made a botched attempt to replace Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa in order to bring someone more pliant and sympathetic to his idea of “foreign conspiracy” and cling on to power. BBC Urdu reported that a helicopter carrying “two uninvited guests” landed in the PM House on Saturday night and they met alone for 45 minutes with Khan. No details were provided about the meeting but it was not held in a cordial atmosphere, it said.

"The Prime Minister had issued orders an hour ago to remove one of the high officials who came to meet him. So the uninvited arrival of these guests was unexpected for the Prime Minister. Khan was waiting for a helicopter but those arriving on the helicopter were against his estimate and expectations,” it said. It further added that Khan was expecting that the helicopter would bring his “newly appointed official” whose arrival would put down all political disturbance. However, the attempted effort for a “change” failed as the defence ministry did not issue the necessary notification for the new appointment.

The BBC did not identify the “uninvited guest” but the choice of words, tenor and tone of the report unmistakably show that they could be Gen Bajwa and ISI chief Lt Gen Nadeem Ahmed Anjum. The army's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations rejected the BBC Urdu article and termed it as "totally baseless and a pack of lies". (PTI)

18:23 (IST)10 Apr 2022
FIA officer probing money laundering charges against Shehbaz Sharif goes on leave

A top officer of Pakistan's top investigative agency who was probing the PKR 14 billion money laundering charges against the joint Opposition's prime ministerial candidate Shehbaz Sharif has gone on leave for indefinite period after Imran Khan was voted out in a no-confidence motion.

Federal Investigation Agency's Lahore chief Mohammad Rizwan's application to go on leave with effect from April 11, 2022, onward, has been accepted, according to an official notification on Sunday. Rizwan's decision came a day before Shehbaz and his son Hamza are to appear before a special court for indictment on Monday.

The special court (Central-I) of FIA on April 4 had summoned Shehbaz and Hamza on Monday (April 11) to indict the father and son duo in the Rs 14 billion money laundering case. Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz is likely to seek exemption from appearance as he is to contest for the prime minister's office in Parliament the same day.

Shehbaz filed the nomination papers for the slot of the prime minister on Sunday. From Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi is the candidate for the position. FIA officer Rizwan has reportedly said that he has gone on leave anticipating his "certain transfer". (PTI)

18:05 (IST)10 Apr 2022
PCB chief Ramiz considering resigning from his position after Imran ouster, reports PTI citing sources

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja is considering resigning from his position in the wake of the ouster of Imran Khan as prime minister of the country, according to sources. Ramiz, who like Imran is also a former Pakistan captain, is presently in Dubai for the International Cricket Council (ICC) meetings which concluded on Sunday.

“Ramiz had only agreed to become the chairman of the Board on the insistence of Imran for whom all the players who played under his captaincy including Ramiz have a lot of regard and respect,” a source well aware of the developments said on Sunday. “Ramiz was well set in a career as commentator, TV personality and expert and was busy with assignments. But on Imran's insistence he agreed to put aside all his media contacts and become chairman of the board,” the source said.

“Ramiz had also made it clear to the PM that he would only remain in the Board until he (Imran Khan) was PM.”

The source said that with Imran now ousted as PM, who is also Patron-in-Chief of the Board and directly nominates the chairman for a formal election process, it is highly unlikely Ramiz would stay on unless the new Premier wants him to carry on with his job. (PTI)

18:03 (IST)10 Apr 2022
Pak media welcomes regime change; says catastrophic collision between pillars of state averted

Pakistan's media on Sunday welcomed the regime change in Islamabad, while expressing relief that a "catastrophic collision" between the pillars of the state has been averted as the minority government led by Imran Khan tried to cling on to power. Khan was ousted from power after losing a no-confidence vote in his leadership following days of high drama.

The vote was held past midnight after Khan's minority government tried its best to stall the no-trust motion tabled by the Opposition parties against the cricketer-turned-politician. "At one point late last night, it seemed as if all the pillars of the state were on course for a catastrophic collision. Calamity seemed ready to strike at the highest levels of the state," the Dawn newspaper said in an editorial. "Even with his ouster a near certainty, Mr Imran Khan seemed more than willing to turn a simple parliamentary procedure into a farce by forcing the heads of the judiciary and military, along with the entire legislature, to play along to the ‘last ball' of his tiresome ruse," it commented in an editorial titled 'Back to the pavilion.'

It also pointed out that the government of Khan became increasingly reliant on the establishment (the powerful military) for ‘guidance' in key decision-making areas. "This ultimately proved fatal for it when the establishment decided they would no longer be providing any crutches for the government to stand on," the editorial said. (PTI)

17:21 (IST)10 Apr 2022
Imran Khan chairs CEC meeting

Imran Khan chaired a CEC meeting earlier today

16:55 (IST)10 Apr 2022
PTI decides to submit en masse resignations in National Assembly

PTI decides to submit en masse resignations in the National Assembly. Fawad Chaudry says party to launch movement against new government, reports Pakistan's Samaa. (ANI)

16:46 (IST)10 Apr 2022
'Freedom struggle begins again today,' says Imran Khan

In his first comment after losing the no-trust vote, ousted PM Imran Khan tweets, “Pakistan became an independent state in 1947; but the freedom struggle begins again today against a foreign conspiracy of regime change. It is always the people of the country who defend their sovereignty & democracy.”

16:40 (IST)10 Apr 2022
Imran Khan calls his party's core committee meeting to announce future course of action

Pakistan's ousted prime minister Imran Khan will preside over a meeting of his party's core committee on Sunday to announce his party's next move after his unceremonious removal from office. Khan, 69, was removed from office through a no-confidence vote held early Sunday morning, becoming the first premier in the country's history to be sent home after losing the trust of the lower house of Parliament.

Taking to Twitter, Senator Faisal Javed Khan said, "Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Imran Khan will chair the core committee meeting of the party today insha'Allah." "Imran Khan will announce the future course of action." (PTI)

16:36 (IST)10 Apr 2022
ICYMI | Pakistan: A country where no Prime Minister has served a full term

However, political uncertainties and prime ministers having abdicated their seats are not new to the country. Since Pakistan became an independent country in 1947, not one of its prime ministers has completed a full term in office and this has often been accentuated by the fact that the military has controlled the main levers of power, dominated foreign policy and dictated security priorities.

Here is a list of how Pakistan’s prime ministers fared in the last 75 years. Read more

15:49 (IST)10 Apr 2022
Explained: Who is Shehbaz Sharif, the man to take over as Prime Minister of Pakistan?

Shehbaz Sharif doesn’t necessarily have the charisma that his brother Nawaz has or isn’t the crowd-puller that his niece Maryam is. Instead, his strength lies in his reputation as a competent administrator.

Born into wealth, Shehbaz embraced politics rather than his family business — much like his brother. The son of a wealthy industrialist, he studied at Government College Lahore and joined the family-owned Ittefaq Group that dealt in steel and iron. In 1990, when Nawaz won his first election as prime minister, Shehbaz was elected to the country’s general assembly. During his brother’s second term as prime minister in 1997, he became the chief minister of Punjab, Pakistan’s most populous and powerful province. Read explainer by Rounak Bagchi

15:39 (IST)10 Apr 2022
Opposition parties nominate PML-N leader Shehbaz Sharif as PM candidate

Opposition parties have nominated PML-N leader Shehbaz Sharif as their PM candidate. 

15:23 (IST)10 Apr 2022
After Imran Khan loses no-trust vote, his close aide's house gets raided

Hours after Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted from power through a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly on Sunday, his close aide's house here was raided and his family's mobile phones were confiscated, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf has alleged. Dr Arsalan Khalid had worked as the focal person for Khan on the digital media team since 2019.

"Ex Focal person on PM Imran Khan on Digital, Dr Arsalan Khalid's home has been raided and they have taken all phones from his family," Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) said on Twitter. "He has never abused anyone on social media & never attacked any institutions,” another tweet said.

The party has urged the Federal Investigation Agency to investigate this incident. Khalid is a graduate of King Edward Medical University and an entrepreneur, and had earlier led the PTI Lahore chapter social media, according to Geo TV report.

He had spearheaded the social media campaigns for multiple historic events, including the Digital Media Campaign for General Election 2018, the report added. Former federal minister and PTI leader Asad Umar reacted to the incident, saying that the raid on Khalid's house is "highly condemnable." "Raid on @arslankhalid_m house is highly condemnable. Patriotic youth like dr. Arslan is an asset for the nation," Umar tweeted. (PTI)

13:37 (IST)10 Apr 2022
Imran Khan tried to sack Army chief Gen. Bajwa before ouster: Reports

As the people of Pakistan woke up to a new dawn on Sunday, the details of the gruelling and murky political activities in the preceding day and night have emerged, showing the country may have averted a damning showdown between ousted prime minister Imran Khan and the powerful Army.

According to various media reports, Khan made a botched attempt to replace Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in order to bring someone more pliant and sympathetic to his idea of "foreign conspiracy" and cling on to power. BBC Urdu reported that a helicopter carrying "two uninvited guest" landed in the Prime Minister's House in the night and were escorted by Army soldiers to the interior of the palatial building.

They two met alone for 45 minutes with Khan. No details were officially provided about the meeting but it was not held in a cordial atmosphere, the report said. (PTI)

12:56 (IST)10 Apr 2022
Pakistan immigration authorities on high alert to catch fleeing govt officials after Imran's ouster

Pakistan's premier investigation agency FIA has put its immigration staff at all international airports on high alert with a directive to stop any government official linked to the Imran Khan regime from travelling abroad without a No-Objection Certificate, a media report said on Sunday.

The move came hours after Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted through a no-confidence motion in the National Assembly, the lower house of Parliament, the Dawn news reported.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)'s immigration staff at all international airports of the country was placed on high alert and directed to stop all those government officials who intend to travel abroad without an NOC, it said. (PTI)

10:24 (IST)10 Apr 2022
Nominations for Pakistan PM due; supporters of ousted Khan expected to protest

Candidates for Pakistan's next prime minister are due to file nomination papers on Sunday after incumbent Imran Khan lost a no-confidence vote in parliament, bringing an end to the former cricket star's nearly four years in power.

Khan had clung on for almost a week after a united opposition first tried to remove him, managing to put off the no-confidence vote, which he said was part of a foreign-backed plot against him, and dissolving parliament.

But the Supreme Court ordered parliament to convene and hold the vote and Khan's government fell in the early hours of Sunday after a 13-hour session that included repeated delays and lengthy speeches by lawmakers from his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.

The vote went ahead after the powerful army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, met Khan, said two sources who declined to be identified, as criticism mounted over the delay in the parliamentary process. (Reuters)

09:35 (IST)10 Apr 2022
‘Pakistan’s darkest period has ended’: Opposition leaders welcome Imran Khan’s ouster as PM

In Pakistan’s first successful no-trust vote, cricketer-turned-politician Imran Khanwas on Saturday removed as the country’s Prime Minister after the motion received the support of 174 members in the 342-member assembly.

The voting took place 10 minutes ahead of the midnight deadline, after Lower House speaker and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party member Asad Qaisar announced his resignation, handing over the charge to PML-N leader Ayaz Sadiq. The Pakistan Assembly is slated to meet at 2 pm on Monday to elect a new prime minister.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) chief Shehbaz Sharif, who has already been named by the opposition as a joint candidate for the new prime minister, said the “new regime will not indulge in politics of revenge”. “Pakistan is now on the track of honesty and legality again…We are looking at a bright future where we won’t be vengeful and jail anyone who’s innocent,” he said.

Sharif told The Guardian that they would prioritise electoral reform, with a view to holding a general election “in due course”. “The country is in all sorts of mess, thanks to the epic mismanagement of the Imran Khan government. From paralysed bureaucracy to the foreign policy challenges to the broken economy, chaos is reigning supreme,” he added. In a tweet in Urdu, he wrote that Pakistan was “freed from a serious crisis” and congratulated the country on a “new dawn”. Read more. 

09:34 (IST)10 Apr 2022
Watch: Imran Khan loses crucial no-confidence vote

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was removed from office an hour past midnight on Sunday in a no-confidence vote that saw 174 members in the 342-strong house voting in favour of the motion. Take a look. 

08:31 (IST)10 Apr 2022
Imran Khan vacates Pakistan PM’s official residence before trust vote outcome

Imran Khan vacated the Prime Minister’s official residence minutes before he lost a crucial no-confidence vote in the National Assembly, a senior leader from his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party said on Sunday.

After Speaker Asad Qaiser handed over the reins to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s Ayaz Sadiq of the National Assembly, it became clear that the vote on the no-confidence motion would go ahead in the lower house.

The Opposition’s no-trust motion against Khan succeeded an hour past midnight on Sunday, with 174 members in the 342-strong house voting in favour of the motion. It meant that the 69-year-old cricketer-turned-politician would have to leave the Prime Minister’s Office. Read more. 

08:24 (IST)10 Apr 2022
While you were sleeping: Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan ousted in no-confidence vote in parliament

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan was ousted on Sunday when he lost a vote of confidence in parliament, after being deserted by coalition partners who blame him for a crumbling economy and failure to deliver on his campaign promises.

The result of the vote, which was the culmination of a 13-hour session that included repeated delays, was announced just before 0100 (2000 GMT on Saturday) by the presiding speaker of parliament's lower house, Ayaz Sadiq.

Khan, 69 was ousted after 3-1/2 years as leader of the nuclear-armed country of 220 million, where the military has ruled for nearly half its nearly 75-year history.

Parliament will meet on Monday to elect a new prime minister.

Sunday's vote followed multiple adjournments in the chamber, called due to lengthy speeches by members of Khan's party, who said there was a US conspiracy to oust the cricket star-turned-politician.

Opposition parties were able to secure 174 votes in the 342-member house in support of the no-confidence motion, Sadiq said, making it a majority vote. (Reuters)

08:22 (IST)10 Apr 2022
Welcome to our live blog!

Good morning and welcome to our live blog! Follow this space for the latest on Imran Khan's ouster as Prime Minister of Pakistan. 

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan attends a military parade to mark Pakistan National Day, in Islamabad, Pakistan on March 23, 2022. (AP/PTI)

The joint Opposition – a rainbow of socialist, liberal and radically religious parties – named 70-year-old Sharif for the premier’s post while ex-foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was named by Khan’s PTI as its candidate. The PTI has decided to withdraw its lawmakers from the National Assembly and launch a movement against the new upcoming government, which is likely to be headed by Sharif, who has served as the Chief Minister of Punjab three times.

Explained: What Imran Khan’s ouster means for India

It’s 10 April, 1973, that Pakistan’s parliament approved its Constitution. On April 10, Pakistan’s parliament passed the Opposition’s no-trust motion against Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, with 174 members in the 342-strong house voting in favour of the resolution.

This meant that Imran Khan is no longer the Pakistan PM.

From New Delhi’s perspective, here are seven important takeaways.

Pakistan’s democracy:

Pakistan’s democracy, a flawed one, is still a “guided democracy”. After a chaotic week of moving no-trust motions and Supreme Court judgements, the Pakistan parliament — after days of back and forth — was able to prevail and oust the incumbent government in Pakistan.

While this is the first time that a sitting PM in Pakistan has been voted out, that has been a normal occurrence in India. This means that democracy in Pakistan is gradually finding its feet.

Citing India’s ‘self-respect’, Imran Khan appeals to Pakistan

Hours before facing a no-confidence vote in parliament, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan Friday seemed to accept the writing on the wall and urged his supporters to stage peaceful protests across the country when the “new imported government” comes into power Sunday.

In an address to the nation on the eve of a no-trust motion he has little chance of defeating, Khan, 69, cited the example of India as a “self-respecting nation” (khuddar qaum) which no world power can dictate terms to.

He expressed disappointment over the Supreme Court reversing the National Assembly deputy speaker’s rejection of the no-trust motion against him.

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