Imran Khan during an interview with CNN’s Max Foster (CNN/PA)
(Picture: PA Media)Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has been removed from office after parliamentarians voted to oust him.
The country’s lower house of parliament on Sunday voted for a no-confidence motion in the former cricketer after a near 14-hour stand off between the opposition and Khan’s ruling party.
The vote means he will no longer hold office and the country’s lower house will now elect a new prime minister and government.
Defections from his coalition reflected growing disillusionment among many Pakistanis over high inflation, rising deficits and the perception Khan had failed to realise his campaign promises of stamping out corruption.
Khan, who said he would continue to fight “till the last ball”, is the latest in a list of elected Pakistani premiers who have failed to see out their full terms.T
he combined opposition that spans the political spectrum from the left to the radically religious will form the new government, with the head of one of the largest parties, the Pakistani Muslim League, taking over as prime minister.
Anticipating his loss, Khan, who charged his opposition with colluding with the United States to unseat him, has called on his supporters to protest against the decision.
Khan said Washington opposed his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Kremlin hours after tanks rolled into Ukraine, launching a devastating war in the heart of Europe.
The U.S. State Department has denied any involvement in Pakistan’s internal politics.
Deputy State Department spokeswoman Jalina Porter told reporters on Friday there was “absolutely no truth to these allegations.”
“Of course, we continue to follow these developments and support Pakistan’s constitutional process, but again these allegations are absolutely not true,” she said.
