Imran Khan chairs first PTI parliamentary board meeting after losing no-trust vote

New Delhi: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan chaired the first parliamentary board meeting of his party after the Pakistani Parliament ousted him in a vote of no confidence in the wee hours of Sunday.

As many as 174 lawmakers in the 342-strong lower house of parliament voted in favour of the no-confidence motion launched by opposition parties, thereby, making him the first Prime Minister of Pakistan to lose a no-trust vote in the National Assembly. “A meeting of the party’s parliamentary board is underway under the chairmanship of Prime Minister Imran Khan,” the Official Twitter account of ‘Imran Khan Today’ tweeted.

Taking to Twitter, Imran Khan on Sunday continued with “external conspiracy” allegations, saying today is the beginning of a renewed struggle for independence.

“Pakistan became an independent state in 1947, but today is the beginning of a renewed struggle for independence against an external conspiracy to change power. It is always the people of a country who protect and defend their sovereignty and democracy,” the former Pakistan Prime Minister tweeted.

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.

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 10, 2022

PTI has decided to submit en masse resignations in the National Assembly, Pakistan’s Samaa reported. Former Pakistan Federal Minister Fawad Chaudry said PTI will launch a movement against the new government.

Notably, no Prime Minister has completed a full five-year tenure in Pakistan so far.

The voting took place in the early hours of Sunday after a high political drama in the National Assembly with the Supreme Court overturning the decision of the Deputy Speaker to reject the opposition-sponsored no-confidence motion against the ruling PTI-led coalition.

Imran Khan sought to link the opposition’s move to oust him through a no-trust vote with “foreign conspiracy” and named the United States in some of his speeches. However, the United States rejected his allegations.

Imran Khan also gave calls for people to take to the streets while the joint opposition remained steadfast in its objective of defeating him.