On Sunday April 2 the National Assembly of Pakistan was dissolved after the deputy speaker decided not to allow the Opposition to vote on the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan.
The political crisis caps weeks of machinations by the Opposition to unravel a tenuous coalition PM Khan had built around his PTI party to become premier in 2018.
Know the key players in the present crisis
Shahbaz Sharif
The brother of three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif — who has been disqualified from running for office ever again and is currently in exile in Britain — Shahbaz emerged as the main candidate to replace Imran Khan as premier, had the no-confidence motion succeeded.
The 70-year-old is a political heavyweight in his own right, having served as chief minister of Punjab, the family’s power base, and now president of the PML-N.
A tough administrator with a reputation for passionate outbursts, he is known for quoting revolutionary poetry in speeches and is considered a workaholic.
He owns luxury apartments in London and Dubai.
Asif Ali Zardari
Hailing from a wealthy Sindh family, Zardari was known more for his lavish lifestyle until an arranged marriage saw him wed Benazir Bhutto shortly before she became prime minister for the first time.
He took to politics with gusto, earning himself the nickname “Mr Ten Percent” for the cut he allegedly took from government contracts and was twice jailed on charges related to corruption, drug smuggling, and murder — although never faced trial.
The 67-year-old became co-chairman of the PPP after the assassination of Benazir in 2007 and became president of the country a year later in a power-sharing deal with the PML-N.
Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari
The son of Benazir Bhutto and Asif Zardari is political royalty and became chairman of the PPP aged just 19 following his mother’s assassination.
The Oxford-educated 33-year-old is considered a progressive, in his mother’s image, and has frequently spoken out on the rights of women and minorities.
With more than half of Pakistan’s population aged 22 or below, Bhutto’s social media savvy is a hit with the young, although he is frequently mocked for a poor command of Urdu, the national language.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman
After starting his political life as a firebrand hardliner, the cleric has softened his public image over the years with a flexibility that has seen him forge alliances with secular parties on the left and right of the spectrum.
With the ability to mobilise tens of thousands of madrassa students, his JUI-F party never musters enough support for power on its own but is usually a key player in any government.
His enmity with Khan runs deep, calling him “a Jew” in reference to his former marriage to Briton Jemima Goldsmith.
Khan, in return, calls him “Mullah Diesel” for his alleged participation in graft involving fuel licenses.