Pakistan PM Imran Khan to Face No-Trust Vote Today

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan to face no-trust vote on Saturday (April 9). A session of the lower house of parliament has been called at 11 am, the speaker’s office said in an order paper.

The vote, brought by the opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif is the fourth point on the agenda.

This comes after a five-member bench headed by Pakistan Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial on Thursday unanimously struck down the deputy speaker’s ruling on the rejection of the no-confidence motion against the Prime Minister and ordered the restoration of the National Assembly. The justice said that the Prime Minister’s move to dissolve Parliament and call early elections was unconstitutional.

Khan on Friday said that he would not recognize an opposition government if it succeeded in an attempt to oust him.

"I will not accept an imported government," the 69-year-old said in a late-night address, suggesting the move to oust him was part of a foreign conspiracy and calling for peaceful protests on Sunday.

"I`m ready for a struggle," PM Khan said.

Khan, notably, has accused the United States of supporting a plot to oust him. Washington, however, has dismissed the accusation.

If the former cricket star, who took office in 2018, loses the no-confidence vote, the opposition will put forward a candidate for prime minister. Shehbaz Sharif, the younger brother of three-time former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, said after the court ruling that the opposition had nominated him to take over should Khan be ousted.

The opposition parties need 172 members in the 342-member house to orchestrate the downfall of Prime Minister Khan and already they showed the support of more than the needed strength.

Also Read: Assam: Transport Department Surpasses Rs 1000 Crore Revenue Collection