The Pakistani prime minister’s move to dissolve Parliament and call early elections was illegal, the country’s Supreme Court ruled on Thursday.
The decision comes after four days of hearings as Imran Khan, the prime minister, sought to avoid a no-confidence vote backed by political opponents he claims was a U.S.-backed scheme to remove him from power.
“It’s an unfortunate decision,” Khan’s ally and Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told the Associated Press.
Chaudhry said the court’s decision will lead to more “instability.”
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As Khan moved to dissolve Parliament over the weekend, Chaudhry accused opposition members of “disloyalty to the state,” claiming they were working with the United States to force “regime change.”
Khan, a cricket star-turned-politician, is friendly with China and Russia, a relationship he has said worries Washington.
With the Supreme Court ordering Parliament to reconvene, it appears Khan will end up facing the no-confidence vote he was trying to avoid over the weekend.
After a key member of Khan’s coalition joined the opposition last week, Khan didn’t have a majority to prevent the impending no-confidence vote on the heels of losing the military’s support.
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With the switch of alliances, Khan’s opposition now has 172 votes in the 342-seat chamber. Pakistan’s prime minister needs a majority of legislators, 172, to be voted into office and the same number to be removed via a no-confidence vote.
Pakistan has a history of its courts and military intervening in times of political crisis. Army Chief Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa said last weekend the country is interested in keeping relationships with both China and the U.S.
