ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s interior minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Saturday urged the country's powerful military to intervene amid an uncertain political situation and hold a snap election, a day before a crucial vote of no-confidence against Prime Minister Imran Khan in parliament. 

Pakistan’s leading opposition parties filed a no-confidence motion against PM Khan on March 8, accusing him of mismanaging the economy and foreign policy, and poor governance. Khan says the US, vexed by his desire to pursue an independent foreign policy for Pakistan, is backing the opposition to overthrow him. Washington has denied the allegations.   

In an interview on Friday, the prime minister disclosed that Pakistan's powerful military establishment had given him three options in the wake of the no-trust motion. The options including facing the no-trust vote, resigning or holding an early election. Khan had said he favored a snap election. 

“The establishment should intervene and hold elections across the country after Ramadan or Hajj,” Ahmed said at a press conference in Islamabad. 

The Pakistani military, which holds vast sway over many aspects of commercial, cultural and political life, has ruled Pakistan for roughly half of its 74-year history. 

Ahmed called for a ban on opposition parties, who he alleged had “moved the vote of no-confidence after taking money for an international conspiracy.”    

He said the other option was for all lawmakers of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to resign from the National Assembly. “We will see then how they [opposition] run the country,” the minister said. 

Ahmed said he was in favor for an early election in Pakistan as Khan, at the moment, was the most popular leader in the country. He reiterated his support for the prime minister, adding the opposition was not competent enough to run the country.   

Opposition parties require at least 172 votes in the 342-member National Assembly to oust PM Khan from the office. The opposition collectively has 162 members, while the government enjoys the support of 179 lawmakers, including its coalition partners. 

Khan, who faces defections by over a dozen of his party's lawmakers, has also been deserted by his coalition partners, including the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and the Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP). 

MQM-P has seven members in the National Assembly, BAP has five and JWP has only one seat. The opposition has said it is in excess of votes to oust the prime minister.