Government of Pakistan aims to outlaw Imran Khan’s party

The Government of Pakistan is banning the party of former prime minister Imran Khan, who is currently in prison. The action was taken a few days after the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) was declared the largest party in the national parliament by a supreme court verdict.

Attaullah Tarar, the minister of information, announced that the government will also file treason charges against Khan, who was ousted from office in a no-confidence vote in 2022 and who rallied significant numbers of followers in the streets before to his apprehension and imprisonment in August 2023.

According to Tarar, the decision to outlaw the PTI was made because Khan’s followers had attacked military sites with violence following his last detention in May of last year on accusations of corruption and claims of foreign funding.

Millions of people supported the PTI in February elections this year, despite a harsh crackdown. The party, which was compelled to field candidates as independents, declared victory amidst claims of widespread vote manipulation in the incumbent government’s favor. Days after the elections, protests broke out all around the nation.

Government of Pakistan’s Action Against PTI

In a post-election controversy that resulted from its candidates running as independents, the Supreme Court decided last week that the PTI was a political party and qualified for an additional twenty seats. PTI members were given seats designated for minorities and women by the judgment.

Major cases against Khan have been put on hold, including one in which he was found guilty of an illicit marriage and given a seven-year term, but which was later reversed by an Islamabad court on Saturday.

“This is a move towards a soft martial law,” stated close aide and media and foreign affairs advisor Sayed Zulfi Bukhari. This is an indication of panic as they’ve realized they can’t intimidate or exert pressure on the courts.

The local NGO Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) declared that the PTI’s prohibition was unlawful. The HRCP released a statement saying, “It is also a huge blow to democratic norms, especially since the Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that the PTI is a political party.”

Targeting PTI Leaders

Since the previous year, the PTI has been severely targeted. In the lead-up to the general election, its leaders faced intimidation and arrests, and Khan’s close advisers were compelled to quit by the military.

Sheikh Waqas Akram, a PTI MP, claimed the government’s mood had turned since last week’s ruling. “The government has become frustrated after the recent decision of supreme court, as PTI has become the largest party in the parliament,” he said. “They [the government] are taking the country towards anarchy. We have said it since February election, it is not a legitimate government. The court decision has proved that.”

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