Govt to ban PTI, seek Article 6 proceedings against Imran, others

Islamabad
In its latest attempt to suppress the PTI, the federal government on Monday announced that it has decided to ban the party and seek Article 6 proceedings against its founder Imran Khan, ex-president Dr Arif Alvi, and former National Assembly (NA) deputy speaker Qasim Suri.
The move appears to be an attempt to prevent the PTI from becoming the single largest party in the NA.
The announcement was made on the heels of relief given to the party by the top court in the reserved seats case as well as to the party chief in the Iddat case.
It has yet to be determined what impact the planned ban would have on the top court’s decision on reserved seats as well as the PTI-affiliated lawmakers.
Speaking during a press conference in Islamabad, Information Minister Atta Tarar said that if the country is to move in a forward direction, it cannot do so with PTI’s existence.
“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 the PTI banned,” he said.
“We are going to impose a ban on PTI and we believe that Article 17 of the Constitution gives the government the right to ban political parties, and this matter will be referred to the Supreme Court.”
Article 17 (2) of the Constitution states that “every citizen, not being in the service of Pakistan, shall have the right to form or be a member of a political party, subject to any reasonable restrictions imposed by law in the interest of the sovereignty or integrity of Pakistan.”
It further adds that “such law shall provide that where the Federal Government declares that any political party has been formed or is operating in a manner prejudicial to the sovereignty or integrity of Pakistan, the Federal Government shall, within fifteen days of such declaration, refer the matter to the Supreme Court whose decision on such reference shall be final.”
The information minister added that whether it was the foreign funding case, the May 9 riots or the manipulation of the cipher saga, the party prioritised its own interests.
In terms of the cipher episode, Tarar said the former Pakistani ambassador to the US, Asad Majeed — who authored the cipher — clarified that there was “no threat”, but the PTI continued decrying that the country was in danger.
“You tried to damage the country’s diplomatic relations for the sake of your political interests and went on to get a resolution passed against Pakistan in the US,” he said.