The Pakistan government’s decision to ban jailed former prime minister Imran Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has drawn criticism from across the political spectrum, with stakeholders denouncing the move as undemocratic.
The ban on Khan’s party was announced by Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, on Monday who accused the PTI leadership of weakening the sovereignty of the country and harming its integrity at the international level.
“PTI and Pakistan cannot co-exist,” Tarar told a press conference, saying that the matter would go to the Cabinet and the Supreme Court.
Pakistan People’s Party, which is in alliance with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League -N, has distanced itself from the potential ban on PTI, asserting that its leadership was not consulted regarding the decision, a report by Pakistani daily Dawn stated.
“We have heard it just like others. We should do politics only because such decisions don’t address issues. Let us see what the court decides, but I will stand along with my party and its policy,” said PPP stalwart Khursheed Shah.
Former PPP senators Mian Raza Rabbani and Farhatullah Babar, too, criticised the government’s decision, emphasising that such actions would lead to political chaos and economic stagnation. Babar further denounced the notion of banning a political party or trying a political leader for treason as “rubbish” and “unsustainable,” as stated in a post on X.
Ex-PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, who recently launched his own political party, warned that the decision could spark unrest in the country, a report in Dawn stated.
He compared it to a mistake previously made by PTI’s founding chairman Imran Khan and advised Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to reconsider, especially since the government’s mandate was already under scrutiny.
In a post on X, Former PML-N senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed lamented that history’s lessons were being ignored, with old mistakes being repeated.
“Goodbye to political stability, goodbye to investment, goodbye to economic revival!” he wrote.
Mian Iftikhar Hussain, Awami National Party — a long time ally of the PPP — said that the government’s move will raise the temperature of the political environment and provide an excuse to impose martial law or emergency.
A Dawn report quoted him saying that his party was not in favour of such moves despite its differences with the PTI.
Meanwhile, PTI, on its part, reacted strongly to the government’s decision to ban the party, stating that the move came across as “desperate” and was a “sign of panic” within the federal administration.
“The federal government has decided to ban PTI as a political party. Reasons cited by the information minister are the cipher case and the US Congressional Resolution on electoral rigging and politically motivated cases with no merit in sight. The PML-N is shooting its own foot for these reasons,” the PTI said in a statement.
Pakistan Human Rights Commission expressed “shock” at the government’s decision to ban former PM Imran Khan’s party, warning that such a measure constitutes an “enormous blow” to democratic norms and could potentially escalate into chaos and violence.
“HRCP is shocked by the government’s decision to ban the PTI. Not only is this move in flagrant violation of party members’ right to association under Article 17 of the Constitution, but it is also an enormous blow to democratic norms, especially when the Supreme Court has unanimously ruled that the PTI is a political party,” it said in a press release.
The Commission further said that pushing through this decision would only deepen polarisation in the country.
Tarar has justified the government’s decision on banning PTI, citing alleged involvement in various issues such as obtaining prohibited funding, sabotaging the IMF deal, resettling the Taliban in Pakistan, and the May 9 riots, holds weight. He added that proceedings related to prohibited funding have been continuously stayed for the past six years.
“In view of the foreign funding case, May 9 riots, and the cipher episode as well as the resolution passed in the US, we believe that there is very credible evidence present to have Khan’s party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) banned,” he said.
The government’s decision comes after the relief given to the PTI by the Supreme Court in the reserved seats case as well as to Khan in the illegal marriage case.
