Pak govt says it will ban jailed ex-PM Imran Khan's party PTI

Cites illegal foreign funding, involvement in riots, and anti-state’ activities

Upping the ante against Imran Khan, the Pakistan government on Monday said it has decided to ban his party on charges of illegally receiving foreign funds, involvement in riots and its alleged involvement in “antistate” activities that will attract treason charges against the jailed former prime minister.

Announcing the unexpected move, Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, highlighted the activities of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and its leadership to weaken the sovereignty of the country and harm its integrity at the international level.

“PTI and Pakistan cannot co-exist,” Tarar told a press conference here, saying that the matter would go to the Cabinet and the Supreme Court.

He said the government has decided to ban the PTI, file a review petition in reserved seat case, and file cases against the PTI founder, former president Arif Alvi and ex-National Assembly deputy speaker Qasim Suri for subverting the Constitution. He said strict legal action would be taken against a handful of overseas Pakistanis for antistate activities.

The minister alleged that PTI has long been involved in anti-state activities, saying the constitution empowers the federal government to seek a ban on such a party by sending the case to the Supreme Court.

He said that the government would be justified in banning PTI over its alleged involvement in matters ranging from obtaining prohibited funding to sabotaging the IMF deal and from resettling the Taliban in Pakistan to the May 9 riots. He said that the prohibited funding proceedings were continuously being stayed for the last six years.