Pakistan Government Decided To Ban Imran Khan's PTI

The government of Pakistan has announced on Monday, July 15 that former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party PakistanTehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will be banned for its alleged involvement in anti-state activities. As reported by Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, the federal government decided that it would move a case to ban the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the case will be taken to the Supreme Court.

Ban Followed By The Supreme Court Assigning Legal Victory To PTI

The PTI was formed by the 71-year-old former Prime Minister Imran Khan in 1996. The party first came to power in 2018 and later in April 2022, the government fell after losing a no-trust motion. Imran Khan is currently facing multiple charges against him at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail. The announcement regarding plans to ban the party came after the Supreme Court recognized PTI as a political party and handed a major legal victory to the PTI and declared it eligible for a share of reserved seats in national and provincial assemblies. Supreme Court also ruled that not having an election symbol would not affect the PTI’s legal rights.

Plans To Bring Treason Charges Against Khan And Others

The government has said that it has credible evidence that led it to make the decision to ban the party. Last year, cases of inciting violent political protests were registered against the party along with the leaking of certified information. Moreover, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar also reported that the government is planning to press treason charges against Imran Khan and two other senior party leaders from the PTI, Arif Alvi and Qasim Suri. The government is also planning to challenge the Supreme Court’s decision to allow the PTI the allotment of reserved assembly seats for women and religious minorities. 

PTI Managed To Secure 93 Seats

Despite the challenge, PTI contenders have emerged as the largest parliamentary bloc in Pakistan elections securing 93 seats. Reportedly, the government made the decision predicting a situation of political chaos in the future. Imran Khan is currently facing charges of misplacing and leaking a classified cable’s content that was shared with Islamabad in 2022 by the former Pakistani Ambassador in the United States. Khan has rejected the claims and evidence suggesting that it is just a political hatch organized by his opponents who wanted his removal from the Prime Minister’s office. Many court gatherings have been held following Imran Khan’s arrest but he has been in the jail since August last year.