Pakistan's cabinet and parliament dissolved, Imran Khan to remain PM

By Al Mayadeen Net
Source: Agencies
3 Apr 2022 13:15

The Pakistani Minister of Information has announced the dissolution of parliament and the cabinet, adding that Imran Khan will, however, remain PM.

Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan

Pakistan's Prime Minister, Imran Khan, called for the President to dissolve parliament and hold fresh elections.

Khan's move happened after members of the National Assembly (Parliament) presented a motion for a vote of no-confidence against the Prime Minister. Parliament's deputy speaker, however, declined to hear it.

The Pakistani PM had described on Friday the move to topple him as an "attempt to change the regime by support from the United States," as he faced a vote to oust him on Sunday.

"The move to oust me is [a] blatant interference in domestic politics by the United States," Khan said in a statement to a group of foreign journalists on Saturday.

Pakistan's PM stated on Friday that his government gave an official note to the United States Embassy in Islamabad to protest Washington's interference in the country's affairs.

Parliament dissolved

In an address he gave on state TV, Khan said there was unacceptable interference in Pakistan's democratic institutions, which is why an interim government should be formed to hold fresh elections.

"I have sent advice to the president to dissolve the assemblies... We will go to the public and hold elections and let the nation decide," he said.

No premier in Pakistan has ever completed one full term. Imran Khan has so far faced the biggest challenge to his premiership since being elected in 2018, as his political opponents have been accusing him of economic mismanagement.

Pakistan's Information Minister announced the parliament's dissolution in a tweet, saying that the PM has asked the President to dissolve the National Assembly in accordance with Article 58 of the constitution.