PM Imran Khan set to address nation after PTI gets clean bowled

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan will address the nation today (Friday) after the PTI suffered a setback when the Supreme Court nullified all the government's actions taken from April 3 to date.

The apex court Thursday restored the National Assembly after it declared the president's order to dissolve the assembly and Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri's ruling against the no-confidence motion "unconstitutional and of no legal effect".

The top court then ordered National Assembly Speaker Asad Qasier to summon the session on Saturday (April 9) and not later than 10:30am to allow the vote on the no-confidence motion against the premier.

To review the latest situation, the prime minister has called a federal cabinet meeting today after almost a month's hiatus, while he will also chair a meeting of the PTI's parliamentary party later in the day.

"I have called a cabinet mtg tomorrow as well as our parliamentary party meeting, and tomorrow evening I will address the nation," the prime minister said in a tweet after the order was issued.

"My message to our nation is I have always and will continue to fight for Pakistan till the last ball," PM Imran Khan said.

The cabinet meeting — set to take place at 2pm — will discuss the current political situation and the future course of action.

Meanwhile, sources have said the cabinet might approve making the "threat letter from the United States" public as it will also deliberate over the Official Secrets Act. 1923 — which bars public office holders from making certain official communications public.

During a meeting with the government's legal team on Thursday, according to sources, the prime minister had said he was ready to accept any decision that the top court would announce.

"We will accept any decision the Supreme Court announces. PTI is ready for elections and we will not let any foreign conspiracy succeed," the prime minister had told the meeting's participants.

The prime minister faces being booted from office at the weekend after the Supreme Court's ruling that parliament had been illegally dissolved and a no-confidence vote on his government must go ahead.

PM Imran Khan's coalition lost its majority in the national assembly last week, but he avoided being dismissed when the deputy speaker blocked a no-confidence motion against him and the president dissolved parliament and ordered fresh elections.

The premier claimed the Opposition had colluded with the United States for "regime change" when the deputy speaker — a member of PTI — refused to allow the no-confidence motion.

Simultaneously, Khan asked President Arif Alvi — who is also a PTI loyalist — to dissolve the assembly.

The decision — which the court said was unanimous — was met with jubilation by opposition supporters in the capital, with packed cars racing through the streets, sounding their horns.

There had been high hopes for Khan when he was elected in 2018 on a promise of sweeping away decades of entrenched corruption and cronyism, but he struggled to maintain support with soaring inflation, a feeble rupee and crippling debt.