Imran Khan is out. Pakistan’s prime minister since 2018, Mr Khan lost a no-confidence motion in the country’s National Assembly in the early hours of Sunday after weeks of political chaos that culminated in repeated attempts by his government to avoid the legislative vote. Earlier, the deputy Speaker of the House had rejected the Opposition’s no-confidence motion against Mr Khan on whose advice the country’s president then dissolved the National Assembly. But Pakistan’s Supreme Court declared those steps as illegal, paving the way for the vote. Mr Khan has accused the United States of America of working behind the scenes to oust him from power amid Islamabad’s growing proximity to Moscow. Mr Khan was in Russia the day the Kremlin launched the invasion of Ukraine in February. Now, he has asked his supporters to oppose what he has alleged will be an “imported” government in place of his administration. But the die is cast and Mr Khan, who in his days as a cricketer was known for never giving up, must realize that he needs to gracefully accept defeat — for now. That would be in his best interest, and Pakistan’s. Mr Khan continues the tradition of no Pakistan prime minister completing five years in office, but is the first to be removed by the country’s legislature — and not by the powerful military.

Yet, it would be premature to declare this moment as a defining win for democracy in Pakistan. Opposition leaders repeatedly asked Pakistan’s army to take a public position against Mr Khan over the past few weeks, underscoring the reality that the military remains the only true power centre in Pakistan. While Shehbaz Sharif, the brother of the former prime minister, Nawaz Sharif, is widely expected to be voted in as Pakistan’s next chief executive, he will largely be a lame duck leader until the country’s next general election, scheduled for 2023. India must watch events across the border carefully because they will have implications beyond Pakistan. Will the new government double down on its deep economic dependence on Beijing, recent warmth with Moscow and mounting antipathy towards Washington, or will it seek friendlier ties with the US? And will it take meaningful steps to improve relations with India? The army has in recent days criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and indicated a keenness to improve ties with the US and India. Pakistan must now show whether it means what it says.