Pakistan PM Imran Khan calls for fresh polls, advises President to dissolve National assembly
Highlights
- Imran Khan addressed Pakistan after the no-confidence motion against him got rejected.
- In a surprise move, the embattled PM called for fresh elections.
- He advised President Arif Alvi to dissolve the National Assembly.
Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan addressed the country on Sunday, right after the no-confidence motion against him got rejected in the national assembly by Deputy speaker Qasim Khan Suri. In a surprise move, the embattled PM called for fresh elections and even said that he has advised President Arif Alvi to dissolve the National Assembly.
He congratulated the people of Pakistan on the rejection of the no-confidence motion. "I call for fresh elections because it is the people who should decide the fate of Pakistan and not some foreign conspirators." Imran Khan had long been suggesting that the intention to oust him as Prime Minister involved people out of Pakistan.
Khan's party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) tweeted a picture of him, looking visibly happy with how things went down in the assembly today. "Congrats Pakistan!" the tweet read.
Suri chaired the crucial session after opposition parties filed a no-confidence motion against Speaker Asad Qaiser. Opposition lawmakers, who earlier appeared confident of the success of the no-trust move as they made their way to Parliament House, protested against the decision.
The Opposition parties need 172 members of the 342-member National Assembly to orchestrate the defeat of Khan and already they have claimed the support of 177 members, more than the needed strength to oust the prime minister.
