In a significant move, the Pakistan government has decided to ban the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, led by the jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan. Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced on Monday and cited the party’s alleged involvement in anti-state activities as the reason for the ban. Tarar emphasized that the federal government believes there is strong evidence to justify this decision.
The PTI, reacting to the ban, posted on the social media platform X, urging the government not to ‘shake the foundations of Pakistan.’ The party criticized Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir and his government, accusing them of undermining the democratic mandate of PTI.
The PTI’s post warned that banning Pakistan’s largest and most popular party could lead to severe consequences, including civil unrest. They referenced the Hamudur Rehman Commission report, advising the government to avoid actions that could destabilize the country.
Earlier in the day, Tarar addressed a press conference in Islamabad, where he outlined the reasons behind the ban. He mentioned several incidents involving the PTI, such as the foreign funding case, the May 9 riots, the cipher episode, and a resolution passed in the US, as evidence of the party’s detrimental activities against the state. Tarar stressed that these actions provided credible grounds for the ban.
The News International reported that a recent Supreme Court judgment made PTI eligible for seats reserved for women and minorities. This ruling could allow Khan’s party to become the largest in the National Assembly, potentially causing the current ruling coalition to lose its two-thirds majority.
According to a report in Dawn, Tarar accused PTI of harming Pakistan’s diplomatic relations for political gain. He pointed to the party’s efforts to get a resolution passed against Pakistan in the US as an example of this. Tarar also highlighted key issues such as the foreign funding case, the May 9 riots, and the manipulation of the cipher saga, where former Pakistani ambassador to the US, Asad Majeed, clarified that there was “no threat” involved, contrary to PTI’s claims.
Tarar emphasized the seriousness of these allegations, stating that the federal government had decided to move forward with banning PTI based on all the evidence. “A case against foreign funding is established, the attacks of May 9 are established, the cipher case is established, the resolution in the US is established,” he said.
In response to the government’s decision, Pakistan’s Leader of Opposition, Syed Shibli Faraz, described the ban on Tehreek-e-Insaaf as the government’s final blow.
The decision to initiate proceedings against PTI followed shortly after the Supreme Court provided relief to the party in the case of the reserved seats and to Imran Khan in the illegal marriage case. Despite these legal victories, Khan remains incarcerated at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, facing multiple charges.
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