Pakistan’s parliament adjourned on Saturday, delaying a no-confidence motion that could oust Prime Minister Imran Khan, days after his allies blocked a similar measure.
The session was adjourned as the opposition parties continued to chant slogans, pressing for the taking up of the no-confidence motion, while Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was speaking in the National Assembly, local media reported.
Khan lost his majority in the 342-seat national assembly through defections by coalition partners and members of his own Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI), and the opposition need just 172 votes to dismiss him.
There is no vote for a new premier on the agenda Saturday, but that could change and Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) leader Shehbaz Sharif is the anointed candidate.
But whoever takes over will still have to deal with the issues that bedeviled Khan — soaring inflation, a feeble rupee, and crippling debt.
Khan, 69, said late Friday he had accepted a Supreme Court ruling that ordered the no-confidence vote but insisted he was a victim of a “regime change” conspiracy involving the United States. He also said that he would not cooperate with any incoming administration and called on his supporters to take to the streets.
The session was adjourned as the opposition parties continued to chant slogans, pressing for the taking up of the no-confidence motion, while Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was speaking in the National Assembly, local media reported.
Khan lost his majority in the 342-seat national assembly through defections by coalition partners and members of his own Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI), and the opposition need just 172 votes to dismiss him.
There is no vote for a new premier on the agenda Saturday, but that could change and Pakistan Muslim League-N (PML-N) leader Shehbaz Sharif is the anointed candidate.
But whoever takes over will still have to deal with the issues that bedeviled Khan — soaring inflation, a feeble rupee, and crippling debt.
Khan, 69, said late Friday he had accepted a Supreme Court ruling that ordered the no-confidence vote but insisted he was a victim of a “regime change” conspiracy involving the United States. He also said that he would not cooperate with any incoming administration and called on his supporters to take to the streets.
