Pakistan is considering banning Imran Khan’s political party, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said in a televised address, deepening the already tense standoff between the former premier and the country’s government and powerful military.
(Bloomberg) — Pakistan is considering banning Imran Khan’s political party, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said in a televised address, deepening the already tense standoff between the former premier and the country’s government and powerful military.
“Whatever happened on May 9 wasn’t spontaneous,” Asif said Wednesday, talking about the violence that erupted when Khan was briefly arrested by the country’s graft agency and some protesters attacked military offices and buildings. “It was pre-planned, so in this background there are chances we consider to ban” the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party.
However, “no decision has yet been taken,” he added.
The May 9 protests are considered individual actions and a party cannot be banned on those grounds, Senator Syed Ali Zafar who is one of Khan’s lawyers, told reporters in Islamabad. “If such a step is taken I am sure this court will cancel it instantly.”
There is a precedent for such a step in the South Asian nation. At least five political parties have been banned in recent decades. These include the Communist Party which was outlawed in 1954, accused of attempting to overthrow the government. The most recent was Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), which was banned in April 2021 amid allegations of links with hostile nations. The decision was overturned later that year by then-Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The last few weeks have seen a sweeping government crackdown on Khan’s party. Several top leaders are now in prison and some two dozen have quit the party, dealing a blow to the embattled opposition leader.
Shireen Mazari, former human rights minister in Khan’s cabinet, became the most high profile figure to depart. After being detained multiple times over the past few weeks, she said she was leaving the party and politics entirely, citing health and family reasons, in a press conference Tuesday that lasted just a few minutes.
The military has warned of stern action against protesters who attacked its properties. The army and the government have also vowed to try those responsible under military law.
More than 10,000 people, including PTI members, supporters and their families, have been arrested by police in raids across the nation since Khan stepped up his campaign for early elections this year. That demand brought him into direct confrontation with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif who has said stabilizing the economy needs to be the priority.
Pakistan is grappling with the worst economic crisis in its history and is on the brink of a default. An agreement with the International Monetary Fund on a $6.7 billion bailout is still out of reach amid low forex reserves and soaring inflation.
(Updates with details throughout)
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