Islamabad (TIP): Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on April 7 announced that he would address the nation on April 8 evening after his government suffered a setback following the Supreme Court‘s decision.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Thursday restored the National Assembly after it declared the government’s decision to dissolve the assembly and NA Deputy Speaker QasimSuri’s ruling against the Constitution.

Khan said a meeting of the PTI’s parliamentary committee would also be convened on April 8 and he would “continue to fight for Pakistan till the last ball”.

This sets the stage for a fresh no-confidence vote in the National Assembly on April 9 at a time when the political power base of the Punjab Assembly is poised on a razor’s edge. In a meeting held at a private hotel in Lahore, the Opposition claimed that 199 legislators had “elected” Shahbaz Sharif’s son HamzaShahbaz Sharif as the Chief Minister. During the hearing itself, Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial noted that the Deputy Speaker’s ruling is, prima facie, a violation of Article 95. “The real question at hand is what happens next. We have to look at national interests,” he had said. Pakistan began undergoing a political upheaval after the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly blocked a no-confidence motion against Khan. Subsequently, Pakistan President ArifAlvi dissolved the House and endorsed Khan’s recommendation to hold fresh elections in 90 days. (TNS)