President of Pakistan Dr Arif Alvi has approved the dissolution of the national assembly on the advice of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
In an address on state TV, Khan said there had been unacceptable interference in Pakistan's democratic institutions, and an interim government should be formed to hold fresh elections, reports gulfnews.com.
"I have sent advice to the president to dissolve the assemblies... We will go to the public and hold elections and let the nation decide," he said.
No-confidence motion against PM Imran Khan dismissed, PM announces elections
"When the advice reaches the president, assemblies will be dissolved which will be followed by the process of setting up a caretaker government," he added.
No premier of Pakistan has ever completed a full term, and Khan has been facing the biggest challenge to his rule since being elected in 2018, with opponents accusing him of economic mismanagement and bungling foreign policy.
On Sunday parliament was due to debate a no-confidence motion on Khan, but the deputy speaker refused to accept it, causing uproar in the chamber. "I rule out this no-confidence motion in accordance with the constitution," said deputy speaker Qasim Suri, a Khan loyalist, as the session started.
Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party (PTI) effectively lost its majority in the 342-member assembly last week when a coalition partner said its seven lawmakers would vote with the opposition. More than a dozen PTI lawmakers had also indicated they would cross the floor.