Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan summoned a meeting of his cabinet ministers late on Saturday night, the decision coming at a time when it is nearly certain that his government will lose the no-confidence vote scheduled for later in the evening, according to local media reports.

Khan has summoned the Cabinet meeting at 9.30 PM (IST) at the Prime Ministers' House in Islamabad, reports ndtv.com amid speculation that several key decisions will be taken there, Geo News said quoting high-level sources.

The call for the Cabinet meeting has taken everyone by surprise as the no-confidence vote is expected to be completed by around 8.00 PM and Khan has little chance of surviving it. There is talk that Khan, who has been saying he will fight till the last ball, may delay voting on the no-confidence motion by ensuring that ruling party members of the National Assembly make lengthy speeches on the purported "foreign conspiracy" to bring down his government, the sources said.

• LIVE UPDATES: Maryam Nawaz calls Imran a psychopath
• Imran Khan to convene a cabinet meet as SC order challenged
• Session adjourned till 8 PM (IST)
• Bilawal alleges Imran sought military intervention
• Voting on Imran's fate expected after Iftar
• Follow Supreme Court order: Bilawal Bhutto in National Assembly
• Review petition filed against Supreme Court order calling for no-trust
• Pak: Assembly reconvenes
• The session was originally adjourned till 1 pm IST but was delayed as Opposition and government members held meetings.

The Pakistan National Assembly session, convened on Saturday morning on the orders of the Supreme Court, was adjourned till 1 pm IST after Opposition lawmakers appealed to the Speaker not to delay the no-confidence motion against the government of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

Speaker Asad Qaiser assured the House that he would abide by the orders of the top court while conducting the session, but said that a discussion on the claim of an 'international conspiracy" was also warranted.

While the Opposition had come out in full force, very few members of the treasury benches were in attendance in the National Assembly. Prime Minister Imran Khan was also not present, reported Dawn.

Imran is expected to lose the vote of confidence, which would make him the first Prime Minister of Pakistan to be voted out on a no-trust motion.

Voting on the no-confidence motion against PM Imran Khan is fourth item on day's agenda

The Opposition parties need 172 members in the 342-member house to orchestrate the downfall of Prime Minister Khan and it has already shown support of more than the needed strength.

Taking the floor, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif hailed Thursday as a historic day in the country's history when the apex court rejected the deputy speaker's ruling.

According to the PML-N leader, the SC decision had made Pakistan's future "bright", reported Dawn.

He called on Qaiser to conduct proceedings in accordance with the SC's directives, stating that parliament would be writing history today. "Today, parliament is going to defeat a selected prime minister in a constitutional manner," he declared.

Responding to Shehbaz's earnest plea, Qaiser assured the Opposition leader that he would conduct proceedings according to the law and the Constitution. "[But] the important thing is that there has been talk of an international conspiracy. This should also be discussed," he said amid protests from the Opposition benches.

This prompted Shehbaz to tell the Qaiser that he would be violating the court's directives if he would go down that road. He also read out the court's directives regarding the convening of the session.

Imran defiant

A defiant Imran Khan on Friday said he would not accept any “imported government” in Pakistan, expressing disappointment at the Supreme Court ruling ordering him to face the no-confidence vote.

In a live address to the nation, Khan asked his supporters to join him on the streets in peaceful protests on Sunday evening. "I am ready for the struggle join me in peaceful protest," said Khan, who has effectively lost the majority in the 342-member house.

“I respect the Supreme Court and the judiciary, but the apex court should have looked at a threat letter before issuing its verdict,” Khan said, repeating his allegation that a US diplomat had threatened a regime change in Pakistan. “I will not accept an imported government,” he said.

He taunted the Opposition to announce new elections and face the nation with him. "That is why I dissolved the assembly because I want people to elect the new government," he said.

Landmark verdict

In a landmark 5-0 verdict, a five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial on Thursday unanimously struck down the deputy speaker's ruling on the rejection of the no-confidence motion against Khan and ordered restoration of the National Assembly, saying the prime minister's move to dissolve Parliament and call early elections was "unconstitutional".

The court also ordered the speaker of the lower house to call the session of the national assembly on April 9 at 10 am (local time) to organise a no-confidence vote.

"I am saddened by the verdict, but I accept it," he said.

Conspiracy theory

Khan in recent weeks has talked about a 'threat letter' and claimed that it was part of a foreign conspiracy to remove him as he was not acceptable for following an independent foreign policy.

He said that he has a great wish that people could see the document but he refused to share it due to national security. But he shares its gist in his own words.

Khan repeated his allegations that a US diplomat threatened regime change in Pakistan.

He said that during the meeting between the Pakistani ambassador and the US official, the latter complained that I (Imran Khan) should not have visited (Russia).

Call for protests

"It is so shameful for the 220 million people of Pakistan that a foreign official is ordering the sitting prime minister of the country through a third person, warning of severe consequences and alluring them of forgiveness if I (Imran Khan) leave the office, he said.

He asked the people to come out and reject the foreign conspiracy to remove the government. "If you are not standing up, no one will come to save you, he said.

With inputs from Sajjad Hussain for PTI, dawn.com, ndtv.com and The Express Tribune