Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan says he will not recognize a government formed by the opposition if a no-confidence vote scheduled to take place on April 9 passes.
Speaking on the eve of the vote, Khan he will "not accept an imported government," suggesting again that the move to oust him is part of a foreign conspiracy.
"I'm ready for a struggle," he said, calling for peaceful protests on April 10.
The opposition in lower house of parliament earlier called for the April 9 session to hold a no-confidence vote against Khan after a Supreme Court ruling overturned his move to block the motion and dissolve the legislature.
A notification on the parliamentary website said the vote has been placed on the schedule with the session to begin at 10:30 a.m.
Khan said in his address that he accepted the decision of the court but that he was disappointed. There had been speculation that Khan would use the speech to resign rather than face a no-confidence vote.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court on April 7 blocked Khan's bid to stay in power by sidestepping the vote through the dissolution of parliament.
A five-judge panel unanimously ruled on April 7 that the move breached the country’s constitution and ordered the parliament to be restored. Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial released the short decision calling the April 3 ruling by the deputy speaker of the National Assembly unconstitutional.
Opposition leader Shahbaz Sharif, head of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, called the vote and has said that if Kahn is voted out, his allies will nominate him as the next prime minister.
Kahn lost his parliamentary majority last week and is expected to lose the no-confidence vote brought forward by a united opposition.
He has accused the United States of manipulating the opposition because of his warm relations with Russia and China. The U.S. State Department has denied the allegations.
