Pakistan government seeks to ban Imran Khan's party

Pakistan's Information Ministry on Monday said the government would move to ban the political party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

"The government has decided to move a case to ban the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, (PTI). We will consult the Cabinet and the Supreme Court if required in this case," Atta Tarar, the information minister, told DW.

"We believe that there is credible evidence that PTI should be banned," Tarar told reporters in Islamabad, citing allegations against Khan including leaking state secrets and inciting riots.

Zulfikar Bukhari, an advisor of Imran Khan, told DW that "the government is shooting their own foot" with the plan. "Recently a verdict by the Supreme Court also endorsed PTI as the largest party in the National Assembly," he said.

Khan, who served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, has been jailed for nearly a year.

Monday's announcement comes days after a court overturned Khan's conviction and ordered his release in a case relating to his third marriage. However, Khan remains in jail on charges of inciting riots.

The former prime minister faces multiple charges in more than 100 cases. His sentences and convictions in several cases have been either suspended or overturned by the courts.

Khan claims that the cases are politically motivated and seek to prevent his return to power.

Top court recently ruled in PTI's favour

The PTI was barred from contesting elections earlier this year, forcing its members to stand as independents. The candidates then emerged as the largest single group in parliament, with 93 lawmakers.

The party claimed that there was widespread vote-rigging on election day to prevent it from winning a majority of seats in parliament. Last week, Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled that the PTI was improperly denied at least 20 seats in parliament.

Khan was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote after falling out with Pakistan's powerful military generals who had once backed him.

What does this mean for Pakistan?

The government's step to ban PTI would throw the country further into political instability and uncertainty. The plan is also expected to be overturned by the Supreme Court in the coming days, said Haroon Janjua, DW's correspondent in Islamabad.

Zahid Hussain, a political analyst, told DW that the step would be "a disaster" that would "lead to the government's own downfall."

"There are very few incidents in Pakistan when a political party has been banned. The decision could lead to uncertainty and chaos. I believe the ban will be rectified by the Supreme Court."

Osama Malik, a constitutional expert, told DW that the previous PTI government had "created an unfortunate precedent" by banning the Islamic extremist party TLP under anti-terrorism laws by declaring it a militant organization. "The same precedent could be used against PTI," he said.

However, Malik noted that the proper legal procedure to ban a political party would be for the Cabinet to declare it as working against state interest, and within 15 days send a reference to the Supreme Court, which will then decide the fate of a political party.