Imran Khan's PTI party to be banned for alleged 'illegal funds'
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There are also plans to move the country's top court to press "treason" charges against the former Pakistani PM.
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Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan gives a press conference at his home, in Lahore, Pakistan, on May 18, 2023. (AP)
Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tarar revealed plans to ban former Prime Minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party and move the country's top court to press treason charges against him.
The decision, he added, was based on several considerations, including the alleged accusation that Khan's PTI had received foreign funding from sources that are prohibited in Pakistan and the rioting that the party's leadership and members engaged in last year, which was directed at military facilities.
"The federal government will move a case to ban the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf," he said, noting that the issue would be transferred to the cabinet and the Supreme Court if needed.
The government will also file a legal reference against Khan and former President Arif Alvi for treason charges under the country's constitution before the Supreme Court, Tarar said.
Khan's aide Zulfikar Bukhari said the decision was a move toward "soft martial law."
"This is a sign of panic as they have realized the courts can't be threatened and put under pressure," he said.
PTI candidates contested the February 8 election as independents after it was barred from the polls.
Increased pressure was placed on the nation's feeble coalition government on Friday when the Supreme Court decided that the party was entitled to more than 20 additional reserved seats in parliament.
It remains unclear how the proposed prohibition would affect the court's decision to offer reserved seats.
The administration, according to Tarar, will also ask for a legal examination of the reserved seat problem.
On Saturday, a Pakistani court nullified the convictions and seven-year prison sentences of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, suggesting that he might be released after almost a year in prison.
However, despite the court's ruling, he was swiftly re-arrested due to his alleged involvement in riots from the previous year. Additionally, his political party indicated that his wife, Bushra Bibi, might also face re-arrest related to an ongoing corruption investigation.
Since being ousted from power through a vote of no-confidence in 2022, the former prime minister has faced numerous legal challenges.
The latest development in Khan's legal battles was his acquittal on Saturday. This particular case involved the legality of his marriage to his third wife, Bushra Bibi.
According to Islamic law, which Pakistan upholds, a woman must wait three months after a divorce before remarrying.
