Pakistan's president on Wednesday dissolved the lower house of parliament as the country's top opposition leader is fighting to overturn a corruption conviction.

An opposition lawmaker and a brother of disgraced former prime minister appears as a leading contender to replace Khan.

Supporters of Imran Khan took to the streets in protest while the political opposition prepared to install his replacement.

The nation's politics was thrust into disarray after Prime Minister Imran Khan dissolved parliament ahead of a vote on a no-confidence motion in which he was widely expected to lose.