Pakistan crisis: Section 144 imposed in Islamabad, Punjab Guv sacked ahead of no-confidence vote

The district administration in Islamabad invoked Section 144 on Sunday in anticipation of probable violence as the Pakistan National Assembly prepares to vote on a no-confidence resolution against Prime Minister Imran Khan, according to Pakistan's Geo News. Additionally, Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar, the Governor of Punjab province, has been fired by the federal government. In the interim, the acting governor will be the Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Assembly, reported Pakistani media,

The administration has also prohibited pillion riding in Islamabad, where the National Assembly session is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. After weeks of political wrangling and attempts to win back allies and people, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, whose future as the country's leader is in jeopardy, will face a key no-trust vote in parliament in a few hours on Sunday.

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The action comes after Khan urged the country's youth to hold "peaceful protests" against a "foreign plot" against his administration on Saturday. The former cricketer-turned-politician appears to have lost support in both the lower chamber of the legislature and from the all-powerful Pakistan army leaders.

Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) "lost the majority" in the National Assembly when the coalition's primary supporter, Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P), switched sides. The MQM said on Wednesday that it had reached an agreement with the opposition Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and would support the no-trust vote in the National Assembly's 342-member chamber.

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• Imran Khan
• Pakistan
• Pakistan crisis
• Section 144
• Tehreek-e-Insaaf
• Pakistan People's Party