Pakistan's parliament will vote on Saturday on whether to remove Imran Khan as prime minister, days after Khan blocked a similar attempt, expressing disappointment at the Supreme Court's ruling that he had violated the constitution.
Pakistan's parliament suddenly suspended its session before the vote, and Parliament Speaker Asad Qaiser said that the parliament would reconvene later on Saturday, without revealing the reason for the suspension.
Ahead of the vote, Khan vowed to "struggle" against any move to oust him, the latest twist in a crisis that threatens the political and economic stability of the South Asian nation of 220 million people.
The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that Khan broke the constitution last Sunday by blocking a confidence vote scheduled for Sunday, dissolving parliament and calling for early elections.
The court ordered the parliament to reconvene.
The vote request submitted by opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif comes in the fourth item on today's agenda.
Khan, 69, rose to power in 2018 with the support of the military, but recently lost his parliamentary majority when allies withdrew from his coalition government.
Opposition parties say he has failed to revive the economy hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, and has not fulfilled his promises to root out corruption from the country and make Pakistan a prosperous nation respected on the world stage.
Opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif said that the opposition had nominated him to become prime minister in the event of Imran Khan's ouster (Reuters)
Disappointment
Khan, who enjoyed wide popular support when he took office, said he was disappointed with the court's decision, but agreed to it, and had called for elections after parliament was dissolved, but made it clear that he would not recognize any opposition government to replace him.
The prime minister attacked the two main opposition parties, the Pakistan Muslim League and the Pakistan People's Party, which have dominated politics for decades, punctuated by military coups.
Khan opposed the US-led intervention in Afghanistan and has strengthened relations with Russia since becoming prime minister, and accuses the United States of backing a plot to oust him, while Washington denies the accusation.
If Khan loses the no-confidence vote, the opposition can nominate a prime minister from its ranks.
Shahbaz Sharif, the younger brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, said after the court ruling that the opposition had nominated him to take over if Khan was impeached.