Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday said that the government is considering banning former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
“It is under consideration to ban PTI,” Asif told reporters.
“The PTI has attacked the very basis of the state that never happened before. It cannot be tolerated,” he said.
This came following Imran Khan’s arrest in a corruption case on May 9, 2023, which led to deadly protests nationwide.
The protests quickly became violent as party members attacked and set fire to government buildings, police vehicles, and public transportation, blockaded key thoroughfares, entrances and exits to all major cities, and rampaged through army facilities.
The Pakistani officials condemned the violent protests and asked for the trial of all TPI party supporters who vandalized government and army installations.
The government will “make an example out of the miscreants who vandalized and attacked state institutions so that such an incident never takes place in Pakistan again,” according to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif.
Additionally, he labelled the miscreants terrorists and stated that “these are anti-state activities.”
Later, the administration discussed holding the attackers’ trials in military courts during a meeting of the National Security Committee.
“I have recommended increasing the number of terrorist courts and enhancing their timings for trials of the miscreants,” Sharif said.
Earlier, the high court of Pakistan ordered Khan’s immediate release and said that his arrest was unlawful and illegal.
The Pakistani army appoints Pakistan’s government through the backdoor. The army was dissatisfied with Imran Khan, so they are trying to suppress him.