Finally the Pakistani Tamasha of chasing the chair is over. Imran Khan wanted to capitalize on foreign hand controversy to justify his forced removal and gain some public sympathy as his own performance card had more negatives than positive grades.

“His fall from grace was predicated on his selectors from the Army who withdrew their blessed hand leading to Khan being stumped. Politics is not cricket. Here you run with the ball all the time. This eventual vote of no confidence at the behest of the highest court has retrieved some of the lost Pakistani prestige in this establishmentarian democracy,” opines Ambassador Anil Trigunayat, former envoy of India to Jordan, Libya and Malta.

Sharing his view with Financial Express Online, Ambassador Trigunayat says, “Whether Shariefs’ and Bhuttos will do any better. Bets are not high as Pakistan suffers from structural issues including huge debts, economic downturn, systemic loot and pandemic impact. We are possibly looking at yet another transitional phase.”

“Although to justify his actions the foreign intervention and ‘Telegram Gate’ he praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and India’s (the Khuddar nation) independent foreign policy few times it did not exhibit a change of heart but acknowledgement of facts. New dispensation and the Khichdi Sarkar will only read between the lines of the script written by the mighty Pakistani deep state. And until the army really wants it I doubt the relationship with India will at all improve. Meanwhile, we have to watch the evolving situation and hope for stability in our western neighbourhood,” Ambassador Trigunayat observes.

What has happened so far?

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was voted out when 174 votes were recorded against him and a no confidence motion was passed against him.

He is the first PM of that country to be removed from office by a no-trust vote, and he was ousted at midnight, after huge drama in the Pakistan Assembly through the day (Saturday, April 9, 2022).

Now, the 70-year-old younger brother of former three-time Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, who is the Opposition leader has been nominated as PM candidate of the country.

The joint opposition – is a mix of liberal, socialist, and radically religious parties. And they during the no-confidence vote had secured the support of 174 members out of 342 member assembly. According to the Constitution of Pakistan, more than 172 votes are required to remove the Prime Minister.

Even before the voting started Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party members had walked out and that left the opposition to vote in the motion. Minutes after he lost the no-confidence, Imran Khan had vacated his official residence.

Opposition party PPP’s Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, soon after the voting out Imran Khan congratulated the people of Pakistan. “Democracy was under attack for the last three years. Welcome to purana (old) Pakistan,” he told the people.

The Supreme Court and High Court of Islamabad remained open in anticipation of a midnight contempt hearing. Why? Because the Supreme Court of that country had ordered the no-confidence vote.

Security was beefed up at the airports and also an alert was issued to ensure no senior state functionary would leave the country without No Objection Certificate (NOC).

PPP’s chairman had alleged that PM Khan was trying to create a constitutional crisis and seeking military intervention by delaying voting on the no-confidence motion.