Welcome back to 'purana Pakistan': Bilawal Zardari as Oppn ousts Imran Khan

Islamabad [Pakistan], April 10 (ANI): Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Saturday hailed the adoption of a no-confidence vote against Imran Khan as he asked the members of the Pakistan National Assembly to mark 10th April 2022, as an important date in country's history.
After weeks of high octane political drama, Imran Khan's ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government was ousted from power on Saturday.
The voting on the no-confidence motion was finally held after the House re-convened after midnight. As many as 174 members in the 342-strong house voted in favour of the resolution.
"174 members have recorded their votes in favour of the resolution, consequently the resolution for the vote on no-confidence against Imran Khan, the prime minister of Pakistan, has been passed by a majority," said Pakistan Muslim League's (N) Ayaz Sadiq, who was chairing the session in the National Assembly.
Addressing the Pakistani parliamentarians after the motion was passed against Imran Khan, Bilawal Zardari recalled what had happened on April 10 and said on this day, Pakistan approved the 1973 Constitution.
"On April 10, 1986, Benazir Bhutto ended her self-imposed exile and arrived in Lahore to launch her struggle against former Pakistan President Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq," he said,
"Today [on] April 10, 2022, we welcome [you] back to the purana Pakistan," said Bilawal in the Pakistan National Assembly. "I have a message for the Pakistani youth that they should never give up on their dreams as nothing is impossible. Democracy is the best revenge," he added.
Prior to assuming office in 2018, Imran Khan had vowed to create a "naya Pakistan" --- one with zero corruption and prosperous economy. However, as time went by there were fewer takers of this empty sloganeering.
The voting on the no-confidence motion was undertaken with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ayaz Sadiq chairing the session after Speaker of the House Asad Qaisar resigned after a meeting with Imran Khan.
On a dramatic day, the session of the National Assembly was adjourned shortly after convening in the morning amid ruckus in the House. The House reconvened at around 2:30 pm (local time) and was further adjourned after speeches were made by the Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and several Opposition leaders including Bilawal Bhutto Zardari.
The House reconvened at around 7:30 pm, only to be further adjourned after an hour of proceedings. The Assembly was finally convened after midnight following the Speaker's resignation.
Imran Khan had also called in a Federal Cabinet meeting at 9 pm, leading to speculations over whether the vote on the no-confidence motion will be held by on Saturday, as per the directions of the Pakistan Supreme Court.
Pakistan's Supreme Court in a historic judgement on Thursday had called for the convening of the session of the National Assembly "not later than 10:30 AM on Saturday" after setting aside the April 3 ruling of the Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri against the no-confidence motion on "Constitutional grounds".
Declaring the ruling of the Deputy Speaker "to be contrary to the Constitution and the law and of no legal effect", the Court set aside all the subsequent steps taken, including the dissolution of the National Assembly, while also restoring Prime Minister Imran Khan and all the Federal Ministers to their respective positions as of April 3.
The court also fixed the Saturday session with the conditions that the session could not be prorogued unless the motion is voted upon, and in case Imran Khan lost the no-trust vote, the next PM had to be elected in the same session. (ANI)