Pakistani President Arif Alvi has dissolved the National Assembly, on the advice of Prime Minister Imran Khan, reports ANI.
Prime Minister Imran Khan, in an address to the nation on Sunday, said he had advised President Arif Alvi to dissolve assemblies and announced fresh elections ahead of an expected no-trust motion.
His announcement came moments after National Assembly Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri, who was chairing today's session, dismissed the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan, terming it a contradiction of Article 5 of the Constitution.
Prime Minister Imran congratulated the nation for the no-trust motion being dismissed, saying the deputy speaker had "rejected the attempt of changing the regime [and] the foreign conspiracy".
The premier said he had been receiving messages from many people who were worried, adding that "treason" was being committed in front of the nation. "I want to say, 'ghabrana nahi hai' (do not worry). God is watching over Pakistan."
Khan said the "billions of rupees" that had been spent to "buy" lawmakers' votes would be wasted and advised those who had taken money to donate it to orphanages and the poor.
"Prepare for elections. No corrupt forces will decide what the future of the country will be. When the assemblies will be dissolved, the procedure for the next elections and the caretaker government will begin," he added.
Opposition leader and son of former PM Benazir Bhutto, Bilawal Bhutto tweeted: "Government has violated constitution. did not allow voting on no confidence motion. The united opposition is not leaving parliament. Our lawyers are on their way to Supreme Court. We call on ALL institutions to protect, uphold, defend & implement the constitution of Pakistan," in response.
The no-trust motion against Khan was dismissed by the Deputy Speaker, who cited a security threat. Khan, who asked his supporters to hit the streets ahead of the trust vote, addressed the nation soon after. He had earlier refused to resign. He said he would "play till the last ball" and "look the traitors in the eye at the assembly".
But this morning, he skipped the assembly session as his supporters roamed the streets in response to his call for a peaceful protest against what he said was a "conspiracy" hatched outside Pakistan to unseat him.
Earlier this week, Mr Khan accused the US of meddling in Pakistan's affairs and alleged the opposition was conspiring with Washington to remove him because he won't take the West's side on global issues against Russia and China.
Khan has also been a strident opponent of America's war on terror and Pakistan's partnership in that war with Washington.
Khan has circulated a memo which he insists provides proof that Washington conspired with Pakistan's opposition to unseat him because America wants "me, personally, gone... and everything would be forgiven."
