Pakistan crisis looms as PM Khan is ousted
FORMER cricket star Imran Khan has been ousted as Prime Minister of Pakistan after a noconfidence vote in Parliament.
Last night there were fears the country could descend into crisis after Pakistan’s MPs voted to remove him from office.
Mr Khan had tried to block the no-confidence vote, despite a legally binding ruling by the country’s Supreme Court that it must go ahead.
Khan and his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, had tried filibustering and legal petitions, and demanded a snap election, to prevent the no-confidence vote.
Opposition politicians claimed Khan was refusing to let the vote go ahead unless he could get a guarantee that neither he nor his ministers would face criminal cases once they stepped down.
But several of Mr Khan’s key allies and a key coalition party deserted him as opposition parties swooped in and agreed to oust the embattled leader.
The politician, previously married to heiress Jemima Goldsmith, had said he will refuse to acknowledge an opposition government if removed.
In recent weeks Mr Khan, 69, shared claims that an Americanled ‘conspiracy’ was behind his fall from grace.
The claims have been denied by Washington and Mr Khan has so far presented no evidence of such claims.
The no-confidence vote was tabled by the opposition amidst an economic crisis that has pummelled Khan’s popularity.