Islamabad - Candidates will file nomination papers on Sunday for Pakistan's next prime minister after the current PM Imran Khan lost a no-confidence vote in parliament, bringing an end to the former cricket star's nearly four years in power.

Khan tried to hold on for almost a week after a united opposition first tried to remove him, managing to put off the no-confidence vote, which he said was part of a foreign-backed plot against him, and dissolving parliament.

The Supreme Court ordered parliament to convene and hold the vote and Khan's government fell in the early hours of Sunday after a 13-hour session. Khans Tehreek-e-Insaf party intentionally delayed the process with lengthy speeches by lawmakers.

The vote went ahead after the powerful army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, met Khan, as criticism mounted over the delay in the parliamentary process.

The military has the upper hand in the nuclear-armed country for almost half its nearly 75-year history.

Parliament will meet on Monday to elect a new prime minister.

The front-runner to become Pakistan's next prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, the younger brother of three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif and chief minister of Punjab province, said Khan's departure was a chance for a new beginning.
-Reuters