ISLAMABAD, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday asked the country's president to dissolve the national assembly, and called for an interim government before going for fresh elections.
In a televised address to the nation on national TV, Khan said that a foreign power hatched a conspiracy to remove his government through a no-confidence motion against him.
"Today (the) deputy speaker rejected that agenda by rejecting no-confidence motion... A conspiracy was being hatched... The nation will not let such kind of conspiracies succeed," Khan said.
He said that the Pakistani public will now use its right to choose its government through elections, adding that no foreign power should be allowed to make decisions through conspiracies.
"I want to tell my nation to start preparing for elections and not let any foreign power decide the future of Pakistan."
Khan said that the procedure of the caretaker set-up will start after the president received his advice to dissolve the assembly.
The prime minister's address comes after the deputy speaker rejected the no-confidence motion against him by the joint opposition alliance which clearly held a majority to de-seat him.
In a session of the national assembly, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry sked the speaker about the constitutional validity of the motion being brought on the directives of a foreign power, among the chants of "the friend of the United States is a traitor" from the government benches.
In response to Chaudhry's speech, Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri, who was chairing the session rejected the no-confidence motion, citing article 5 of the constitution that "no foreign government is allowed to conduct regime change operations against an elected government."
The opposition alliance refused to accept the dissolution of the assembly and decided to file a plea in the apex court against the speaker's ruling and Khan's advice. ■
