Pakistani Information Minister Atta Tarar said on July 15 that the coalition government led by the Muslim League would launch high-treason charges against former Prime Minister Imran Khan and two aides and ban Khan's Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI) political party.
He accused the jailed Khan of damaging institutions, creating chaos, and breaking counterterrorism laws by improperly negotiating with militants during his tenure as prime minister in 2018-22.
Tarar said the PTI had waged "enmity" against Pakistan by "attacking" security and government agencies, lobbied the U.S. Congress against Pakistan's interest, and received funding from abroad without documenting their provenance. It would be banned under Article 17 of the constitution, he added.
“This country has to move forward. Pakistan and PTI can’t exist together,” Tarar said.
PTI leader Shibli Faraz called Tarar's statements laughable and said "it is very sad that the country has fallen into the hands of such incompetent people." He countered that Tarar and his governing allies "are trying to lead the country into chaos" and are failing to see the consequences of their actions.
Khan, 71, still enjoys huge popularity, but his political future and return to the political limelight is unclear.
Khan remains in jail on charges that include taking improper gifts while further charges are pending against him.
He founded the PTI in 1996.
Other PTI leaders have also been charged with wrongdoing in cases that Khan and their defenders say are politically motivated.
Khan has alleged that powerful intelligence services intent on manufacturing cases against his party are damaging the country.
Last week, Pakistan's Supreme Court ordered that special seats in national and provincial assemblies for women and minorities be given to the PTI, reversing rulings by the Peshawar High Court and the national Election Commission regarding elections in February in which the PTI was barred.
The February 8 vote took place amid rising political tensions and an upsurge of violence that prompted authorities to deploy more than 650,000 army, paramilitary, and police personnel across the country.
Reported irregularities during the February 8 poll prompted the United States, Britain, and the European Union to voice concerns about the way the vote was conducted and to urge an investigation.
The military has run Pakistan for nearly half its history since partition from India in 1947 and it still wields huge power and influence.
