Pakistan: PM Imran Khan rules out imposition of Governor's rule in Sindh province

However, Khan said he will petition the Supreme Court to seek a ruling on whether PTI defectors could lose their seats ahead of a no-confidence vote against him in the National Assembly.

Khan has also called a meeting of the PTI political committee on Saturday to review the fast-changing political situation in the country and contemplate on the issue of dissidents from his own party.

Khan earlier presided over a meeting where Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed presented a summary regarding the imposition of governor's rule in Sindh and here it was also decided that the party would face the no-confidence move in the National Assembly.

However, Sheikh Rashid later told reporters that “no decision has so far been taken on the summary” regarding governor's rule.

Even Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi made it clear that the federal government had no intention of imposing governor's rule in Sindh.

Several PTI lawmakers withdrew support to the government on Thursday, thus strengthening opposition claims of having won the support of members of the ruling coalition and stoking more uncertainty over whether the Imran Khan can hang on to power.

Meanwhile, Information Minister Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said the government had decided to file a presidential reference under Article 186 of the Constitution in the Supreme Court for the interpretation of Article 63A.

Chaudhry also confirmed that show-cause notices had been issued to dissident lawmakers, who had been given one week to return to the party while also seeking an apology from them.

(With UNI inputs)