Pakistan calls snap poll amid move to remove the PM
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan has urged the president to dissolve parliament and call fresh elections following an opposition attempt to remove him from office.
It came after parliament’s deputy speaker refused to hold a vote of no-confidence the PM was expected to lose.
Opposition MPs are refusing to leave the chamber and filing an appeal with the Constitutional Court.
Mr. Khan claims the US is leading an international conspiracy to remove him.
He says this is because of his foreign policy decisions, such as recently visiting Moscow to meet President Vladimir Putin, and his previous criticism of America’s “War on Terror”.
Opposition politicians ridicule the allegation, and the US has denied it.
His political opponents seized the opportunity to table the no-confidence vote after persuading a number of his coalition partners to defect to them.
On Sunday, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told MPs that Pakistani officials had been told of “an operation for a regime change by a foreign government”.
This, he said, went against the constitution and the deputy speaker chairing the session – a close ally of the prime minister – proceeded to declare the vote unconstitutional.
The opposition are furious.
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