Imran Khan, Pakistan's embattled Prime Minister, says he will seek early elections after avoiding a no-confidence vote and alleging that a plot to destabilize his government failed.
On Sunday, the deputy speaker of Pakistan's Parliament threw out the opposition parties' motion of no confidence and called the session to a halt. Khan went on national television minutes later to announce that he would petition Pakistan's president to dissolve Parliament and call early elections.
The developments occurred after Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry accused the opposition of conspiring with a "foreign power" to effect a "regime change."
"I implore citizens to prepare for the upcoming elections. "Thank God, a plot to destabilize the government has been foiled," Khan stated during his address.
The opposition, which announced a protest sit-in in Parliament, branded the deputy speaker's ruling invalid and vowed to appeal to Pakistan's Supreme Court.
The opposition arrived in Parliament prepared to depose Khan. They needed a simple majority of 172 votes in Pakistan's 342-seat Parliament to oust Khan, a former cricketer who became a conservative Islamic politician. Khan's small but critical coalition partners and 17 members of his party, joined the opposition to depose him.
The vote of no confidence was expected to take place shortly after Parliament convened on Sunday, but parliamentary rules allow for three to seven days of debate. The opposition has stated that it possesses the necessary numbers to force a vote immediately.
Roads and entrances to the capital's diplomatic enclave and Parliament and other sensitive government facilities were blocked by massive metal containers. A defiant Khan urged supporters to stage protests across the country to protest the vote.
Khan has accused the opposition of conspiring with the US to depose him, claiming that America is unhappy with his foreign policy decisions, which frequently favor China and Russia. Khan has also been an outspoken critic of America's war on terror and Pakistan's collaboration with Washington.
Khan has circulated a memo in which he asserts that Washington colluded with Pakistan's opposition to depose him because America wants "me personally gone... and everything would be forgiven."
A defeat for Khan would have allowed his opponents to form a new government and rule until next year's elections.