It has been a turbulent day for Pakistan's political scene as Prime Minister Imran Khan foiled an attempt by the opposition to boot him from office by convincing the president to dissolve the National Assembly, hours after which a notification issued by the Cabinet Secretariat said Khan was officially removed as the prime minister of Pakistan.
The notification to be published in the Gazette of Pakistan Extraordinary said: "Upon dissolution of the National Assembly by the President of Pakistan ... Mr. Imran Ahmad Khan Niazi ceased to hold the Office of the Prime Minister of Pakistan, with immediate effect."
Fresh elections in Pakistan are set to be held in 90 days due to the dissolution of the National Assembly.
Khan will, however, continue to serve as acting premier until a caretaker prime minister is appointed to hold fresh elections, the Cabinet Division announced in the notification.
Earlier on Sunday, President Arif Alvi dissolved the lower house of parliament – the National Assembly – on Khan's advice, triggering a constitutional crisis.
The notification said Khan and his Cabinet had been de-notified, with immediate effect.
Imran Khan is no more prime minister if Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/DkwM4JlQP8
— Hamid Mir (@HamidMirPAK) April 3, 2022
The move to dissolve the country's parliament came minutes after the deputy speaker of parliament "rejected" a no-trust motion against the prime minister, terming it "unconstitutional."
The combined opposition, led by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), had submitted the no-confidence motion against Khan on March 8, contending that the prime minister had lost the trust of the majority of lawmakers.
"I congratulate the whole nation for this victory. The deputy speaker has rejected the opposition's no-trust motion against the government, which was at the behest of the foreign power," Khan said in a brief address to the nation.
"I have sent advice to the president to dissolve the assemblies and call for fresh elections," he said.
"Let the people decide who do they want in power. It's not the authority of the foreign power to decide that," he added.
Terming the prime minister's move "unconstitutional," opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif said both Khan and the deputy speaker would be tried for "high treason." The two, according to him, have acted against the constitution.
He said the opposition is approaching the Supreme Court against Khan's "unconstitutional" act.
According to the Pakistani Constitution, the new elections will be held under a caretaker prime minister in the next 90 days after dissolution of parliament, Karachi-based legal expert Ismat Mehdi told Anadolu Agency (AA).
Khan and the leader of the country's opposition will jointly pick the caretaker premier, he said, explaining that the government and opposition will propose three candidates each, with one to be picked for the post.
However, if the two sides cannot agree on a name, the matter will go to a parliamentary committee, which comprises Treasury and opposition lawmakers, and remains functional despite the assembly's dissolution.
If the parliamentary committee also cannot reach a consensus, the Election Commission of Pakistan will do the job.
If all fail, then the country's Supreme Court will eventually appoint the caretaker prime minister.
Until the appointment of the caretaker premier, the incumbent prime minister will continue to serve.
Meanwhile, Pakistan's top court blocked the political parties and state institutions from taking any "unconstitutional step" following the ongoing political crisis in the country.
The Supreme Court adjourned the hearing until Monday to take up petitions filed by opposition leaders against the dissolution of National Assembly.
