2022 Pakistani constitutional crisis

This article is part of a series about Imran Khan
Early life Cricket career Electoral history 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan Premiership Government Oath of office First 100 days International trips Ehsaas Programme Kamyab Jawan Program Plant for Pakistan COVID-19 pandemic No-confidence motion Constitutional crisis Lettergate Post-premiership Legal affairs Al-Qadir Trust case Toshakhana reference case Tyrian White case Iddat case Protests 2022–2023 Pakistan political unrest 2022 Azadi March I 2022 Azadi March II 2023 Pakistani protests May 9 riots Assassination attempt Arrest Elections 1997 2002 2013 2018 Politics Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf 2014 Tsunami March Inqilab March Ihtisab March Related Family Awards and honours Pakistan: A Personal History International cricket five-wicket hauls Pets Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital Namal College
v t e

A political and constitutional crisis emerged in Pakistan from, 3 April 2022 to 10 April 2022 when, National Assembly's Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri dismissed a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan during a session in which it was expected to be taken up for a vote, alleging that a foreign country's involvement in the regime change was contradictory to Article 5 of the Constitution of Pakistan.^[1] Moments later, Khan stated in a televised address that he had advised President Arif Alvi to dissolve the National Assembly. Alvi complied with Khan's advice under Article 58 of the constitution. This resulted in the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SCP) taking a suo motu notice of the ongoing situation, creating a constitutional crisis, as effectively, Imran Khan led a constitutional coup.^[2][3][4][5] Four days later, the SCP ruled that the dismissal of the no-confidence motion, the prorogation of the National Assembly, the advice from Imran Khan to President Arif Alvi to dissolve the National Assembly, and the subsequent dissolution of the National Assembly were unconstitutional, and overturned these actions in a 5-0 vote. The Supreme Court further held that the National Assembly had not been prorogued and had to be reconvened by the speaker immediately and no later than 10:30 a.m. on 9 April 2022.^[6][7]

On 9 April, the National Assembly was reconvened, however the motion was not immediately put to a vote. The session went on all day but the voting did not begin. Shortly before midnight, the speaker and the deputy speaker both resigned.

Shortly after midnight on 10 April, the National Assembly voted and passed the no-confidence motion with 174 votes, a majority, removing Khan from office,^[8] and making him the first prime minister in Pakistan to be removed from office through a no-confidence motion.^[9] No prime minister has completed their term in Pakistan's 75-year history, which has been marred by frequent coups by the country's powerful military.^[10]