Bangladesh views what is happening in Pakistan on the political front as their “internal matter” and has no comment on that. However, the political development in Pakistan is being monitored, officials in Dhaka said. Imran Khan, a cricketer-turned-politician, was ousted as prime minister early Sunday after losing a no-confidence vote in Parliament. Deserted by his party allies and a key coalition partner, his opposition pushed Khan out with 174 votes — two more than the required simple majority in the 342-seat National Assembly. “It’s their internal matter,” Foreign Secretary Masud bin Momen told the media on Sunday when his comment was sought on the situation in Pakistan. Also read: Shehbaz Sharif elected prime minister of Pakistan Pakistani lawmakers convened Monday to choose a new prime minister, capping a tumultuous week of political drama that saw the ouster of Imran Khan as premier and a constitutional crisis narrowly averted after the country’s top court stepped in, reports Associated Press. But lawmakers from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or Pakistan Justice Party, resigned collectively just ahead of the vote and more than 100 of them walked out of the National Assembly. The walkout followed an impassionate speech by Khan’s ally, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, who defended Khan, lauding what he described as Khan’s independence and refusal to bow to U.S. pressure. “We boycott this election according to the decision of our party, and we are resigning,” Qureshi said. Also read: Pakistani lawmakers to elect new PM after Imran Khan ouster After the walkout, opposition lawmakers started voting on the new prime minister, with opposition lawmaker Shahbaz Sharif as the only contender. He is the brother of disgraced former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif but his election will not guarantee a clear path forward — or solve Pakistan’s many economic problems, including high inflation and a soaring energy crisis, according to AP.

Pakistan's top court began hearing arguments Monday on whether Prime Minister Imran Khan and his allies had the legal right to dissolve parliament and set the stage for early elections. The opposition is challenging the latest moves by Khan, a former cricket start turned conservative Islamist leader who came to power in 2018, contending they are a ploy by Khan to stay in power. The Supreme Court started hearing arguments on Monday both from Khan's legal team and his allies, and also the opposition, but then adjourned the session until noon Tuesday. There was no immediate explanation for the adjournment and it was also unclear when a ruling would come. Muslim-majority Pakistan is observing the holy month of Ramadan, when the faithful fast from dawn to dusk.  Also read: Pakistan's top court to rule on PM dissolving parliament On Sunday, Khan’s ally and Pakistan’s deputy parliament speaker, Qasim Suri, dissolved the assembly to sidestep a no-confidence vote that Khan appeared certain to lose. The opposition claims the deputy speaker had no constitutional authority to throw out the no-confidence vote. The developments marked the latest in an escalating dispute between Khan and the opposition, which has been backed by defectors from the prime minister's own party, Tehreek-e-Insaf or Justice Party, and a former coalition partner, the Muttahida Quami Movement, which had joined opposition ranks. The opposition claims it had the numbers to oust Khan in parliament. It has also accused him of economic mismanagement. The current political conundrum is in many ways unchartered territory, even for Pakistan, where successive governments have been overthrown by a powerful military and others ousted before their term ended. The most significant decision before the Supreme Court is whether Suri, the deputy speaker, had the constitutional authority to throw out the no-confidence vote, according to constitutional lawyer Ali Zafar. Also read: Pakistan president dissolves Parliament at PM’s request Zafar told The Associated Press that the court also has to decide whether it even has the authority to rule on this matter. Khan's party insists actions of a parliament speaker are privileged and cannot be challenged in court. If the court rules the deputy speaker was out of line, the parliament will reconvene and hold the no-confidence vote on Khan, legal experts say. If the court upholds the latest actions, Pakistan is heading into early elections. The opposition says it has the 172 votes in the 342-seat assembly to oust Khan. After Suri on Sunday threw out the no-confidence motion, information minister and another Khan ally, Fawad Chaudhry, accused the opposition of plotting "regime change" with the backing of the United States. Pakistan’s powerful military — which has directly ruled the country for more than half of its 75-year history — has remained silent through much of the political infighting. However, Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa on Sunday distanced the military from allegations of a U.S.-backed conspiracy, saying Pakistan wants good relations with both China and the U.S., Pakistan's largest trading partner. Khan, an outspoken critic of Washington’s war on terror and Pakistan’s partnership in that war, claims the U.S. wants him gone because of his foreign policy choices and for refusing to distance Pakistan from China and Russia. “We support the peaceful upholding of constitutional democratic principles. That is the case in Pakistan. It is the case around the world," said U.S. State Department spokesman Ned Price about Pakistan and allegations of U.S. attempts to oust Khan. "We do not support one political party over another; we support the broader principles, the principles of rule of law, of equal justice under the law.” However, Michael Kugelman, deputy director of the Asia Program at the Wilson Center, sees the latest political wrangling as just another “part of a recurring pattern in Pakistan of governments undermining the democratic process to maintain their hold on power. ” It underscores a deeply polarized society, Kugelman added. While Khan's supporters may think dissolving parliament was a “stroke of genius" to avoid a no confidence vote, his critics “think he has acted recklessly and essentially pulled off a legal coup, plunging the country into a constitutional crisis.” Separately, Pakistani President Arif Alvi, another Khan ally, was ignoring Monday's deliberations before the Supreme Court and was forging ahead with preparations for an interim government that would see Pakistan through elections. Under the constitution, Khan would remain prime minister until the appointment of a caretaker premier, Alvi said in a tweet.

Pakistan's prime minister has responded to a recent peace overture from his Indian counterpart, writing in a letter to Narendra Modi that Islamabad also desires peaceful relations with New Delhi, officials said Tuesday. The exchange of letters between the two men was seen as a sign of easing tensions between the nuclear-armed South Asian neighbors. Imran Khan's letter was dispatched to Modi a day ago, according to two government officials who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government policy. They said Khan in Monday's letter called for the resolution of the dispute over the Kashmir region and all other outstanding issues between the two sides. "The people of Pakistan also desire peaceful, cooperative relations with all neighbours, including India. We are convinced that durable peace and stability in South Asia is contingent upon resolving all outstanding issues between India and Pakistan, in particular, the Jammu & Kashmir dispute," Khan wrote in the letter. He also conveyed his best wishes to India in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic. Khan's move came in response to a recent overture from Modi. The Indian premier in a letter congratulated Khan on his country's annual Pakistan Day, which commemorates March 23, 1940. On that day, the Muslim leadership in the eastern city of Lahore demanded independence from British rule. The disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir is split between Pakistan and India but claimed by both in its entirety. The two countries have fought two of their three wars over Kashmir since gaining independence from Britain in 1947.

Pakistan's Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday tested positive for the novel coronavirus, according to the country's health minister.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Thursday said Bangladesh cannot forget the atrocities committed by Pakistan in 1971.

Pakistan's prime minister said Monday he fears the new coronavirus will devastate the economies of developing nations, and warned richer economies to prepare to write off the debts of the world's poorer countries.