Pakistan court to hear PM Imran Khan's defence of blocking ouster

Lawyers for Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan began their defence in the Supreme Court on Wednesday of his bid to block an opposition attempt to oust him, a move his critics say was unconstitutional and has ushered in political turmoil.

Khan, a former cricket star, lost his parliamentary majority last week and had been facing a no-confidence vote tabled by the opposition that he was expected to lose on Sunday.

But the deputy speaker of parliament, a member of Khan's party, threw out the motion, ruling it was part of a foreign conspiracy and unconstitutional. Khan then dissolved parliament.

The stand-off has thrown