Pakistani president dissolves national assembly after opposition's no-confidence motion rejected - China.org.cn

Pakistani President Arif Alvi on Sunday dissolved the country's National Assembly, or the lower house of the parliament, on the advice of Prime Minister Imran Khan after a motion of no-confidence by joint opposition against Khan was declared unconstitutional.

The session to vote on the no-confidence motion was convened on Sunday morning, during which the country's Minister of Information Fawad Chaudhry said that the motion is an "effective operation of regime change by a foreign government," which has joined hands with the local parties to topple the Pakistani government through the no-confidence motion.

Chaudhry said that the Constitution asks every citizen of Pakistan to be loyal to the country rather than a foreign power, questioning the constitutional validity of the motion brought on the directives of a foreign power, amid the chants of "the friend of the United States is a traitor" from the government benches.

Approving Chaudhry's argument, 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."

Following the rejection of the motion, Khan said in a televised address to the nation that he has sent an advice to the president to dissolve the National Assembly, calling for an interim government before going for fresh elections.