Pakistan Parliament has dismissed the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan due to “foreign interference”.
The National Assembly deputy speaker dismissed the move against Khan on Sunday, terming it against Article 5 of the Constitution.
Pakistan’s news website dawn.com reported that according to Article 5, the “loyalty to the State is the basic duty of every citizen” and “obedience to the Constitution and law is the [inviolable] obligation of every citizen wherever he may be and of every other person for the time being within Pakistan”.
In a speech live on the state-run PTV, Khan said he had advised the president to dissolve the Parliament and call for fresh elections.
Pakistan’s embattled PM was set to face the no-confidence vote on Sunday after the opposition said it had the numbers to win.
The opposition needs a simple majority of 172 votes in Pakistan’s 342-seat Parliament to unseat Khan, a cricketer-turned-politician.
His small but key coalition partners along with 17 of his own party members have joined the opposition to remove him.
On Sunday, giant metal containers blocked roads and entrances to the capital’s diplomatic enclave, Parliament and other sensitive government installations in the capital.
Source: Al Jazeera and News Agencies.