Imran Khan’s party dissolves assembly in Pakistani province

By RIAZ KHAN
Associated Press

PESHAWAR, Pakistan (AP) — The party of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has dissolved a provincial assembly in the country’s northwest, where it held majority seats. Its rival, the ruling Pakistan Muslim League criticized Wednesday’s move, saying it meant to deepen the political crisis and force early parliamentary elections. Khan has been campaigning for early elections and has claimed, without providing evidence, that his ouster last April in a no-confidence vote in Parliament was illegal. The dissolution of the chamber in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province — as well as a similar dissolution of the assembly in eastern Punjab province over the weekend — will force snap elections in both provinces but will unlikely effect any change on the national level.