Pakistan to ban former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party for alleged anti-state activities

The Pakistan government on Monday announced that it would ban former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, reported Dawn.

This came after Pakistan’s Supreme Court said, in an order last week, that the Opposition party was eligible to seats reserved for women and minorities in the country’s National Assembly, reported The Indian Express.

The ruling paved the way for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to become the single largest party in the National Assembly. This would in turn cause the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz coalition to lose its two-thirds majority in the House.

Pakistan’s information minister Attaullah Tarar, however, said that the government’s decision was based on the Khan-led party’s alleged involvement in a series of incidents deemed to be detrimental to the nation.

Tarar added that his country’s government would submit a review petition before the Supreme Court of Pakistan against its verdict, reported Dawn.

“In view of the foreign funding case, the May 9 riots, the cipher episode, and the resolution passed in the US, we believe that there is very credible evidence present to have the PTI [Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf] banned,” Tarar said on Monday.

On May 9, 2023, violent protests had broken out in several cities across Pakistan after Khan was arrested in a corruption case.

The cipher case pertains to the unauthorised disclosure of a classified diplomatic cable sent to...

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