Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri, a member of Khan’s ruling party, cited “foreign interference” in canceling a no-confidence motion brought by the opposition, which said it had the numbers to oust him and take power. Khan then asked the president to dissolve Parliament, which was approved shortly afterward.
“The public decides who they want in power,” Khan, 69, told the nation in a televised address. “I want to tell the public to get ready for elections.”
Pakistan’s Supreme Court said it will review the decision regarding the no-confidence vote and the dissolution of Parliament, though it’s unclear when the case will be heard. The government announced that Khan would continue as caretaker PM while the cabinet had been dissolved.
The move risks leading to more political upheaval in Pakistan, which has been ruled by the military for nearly half of its history. Ahead of the vote, Khan had alleged evidence of an “international conspiracy” to unseat him led by the US, which has denied the allegations.
Pakistan’s army is “absolutely not” involved in the current political situation, army spokesman Major General Babar Iftikhar told Geo News. He didn’t immediately respond to questions sent by Bloomberg.
Pakistan’s opposition parties said the cancellation of the no-confidence vote was illegal and vowed to contest the move in court. Opposition leader Shehbaz Sharif, who was set to take power if Khan lost the vote, told reporters the deputy Speaker and Khan would be charged with treason for violating the Constitution.
In one sign of trouble for Khan, his deputy attorney general resigned in the wake of Sunday’s events. Raja Khalid called the deputy Speaker’s ruling a “blatant violation” of the Constitution and said he couldn’t defend the government at any forum.
