ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Prime Minister Imran Khan is facing a possible departure, but has once again vowed to “fight” after his plan to keep the opposition at bay against a no-confidence vote failed. On Thursday, Pakistan’s Supreme Court ruled that the president’s move to dissolve parliament following Khan’s recommendation was illegal and ordered the restoration of the National Assembly. Kahn will now face a vote of no confidence from politicians he tried to avoid after the vice-speaker of parliament rejected the motion of censure earlier this week. The National Assembly is scheduled to meet on Saturday, and the opposition looks set to overthrow Khan. Khan will have to resign if 172 members of the 342-member parliament vote against him. Pakistan’s ruling Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party has already lost its majority in parliament. More than 190 lawmakers voted against Khan in a blatant parody by the opposition on April 3. “My message to our nation is that I will always continue to fight for Pack until the last ball,” the former leader of the national cricket team took to Twitter after the Supreme Court ruling was declared “historic”. The fighting leader has convened a meeting of the federal cabinet and PTI lawmakers to discuss a future course of action. The prime minister is also scheduled to address the nation on Friday night, where some have suggested he could announce his resignation. “Kahn could make another dramatic move, including mass resignations from assemblies,” political analyst Suhail Warraich told Al Jazeera. “I do not think he will wait for the opposition to vote for him.” There are indications of another political crisis amid fears that a prolonged stalemate could undermine the country’s fragile democracy. PTI Sen. Faisal Javed Khan said Prime Minister Khan was going to make an “important announcement” tonight that would turn the opposition victory into a defeat. Professor Tahir Malik, who teaches international relations at a university in the capital Islamabad, told Al Jazeera that “Khan may resign, but he will have to play the role of an opposition leader in parliament.” Malik added that Khan was still a popular leader [Khan] he wanted to go to new elections with the narrative that he was a defender of the national interest. On Thursday, the Pakistani rupee fell to a record low against the US dollar amid the political crisis. “The stock market rose 1.6% at the beginning of Friday,” Tahir Abbas, head of research at Arif Habib Limited, told Al Jazeera. “Markets need clarity on the political front and the Supreme Court ruling provides for that,” Abbas said, adding that the rupee had also recovered in the morning.
