"Don't play with fire:" PTI thinks govt took decision to ban party at behest of establishment

Reacting to the government's decision to ban Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan's party said no patriot can think of banning the largest and most popular party in the country.

Earlier today, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar said that the government has decided to ban the former ruling party for its alleged involvement in "anti-state activities".

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's coalition government has also decided to file treason cases under Article 6 against Imran Khan and his close aides, Arif Alvi and Qasim Suri.

Following Tarar's presser, PTI came down hard on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir and the coalition government.

"[the] puppet government is resorting to banning PTI in haste," PTI said adding that the move is aimed to stop reserved seats allocation.

8 فروری کو ملنے والے تحریک انصاف کے عوامی مینڈیٹ کی واپسی کا عمل شروع ہونے سے جنرل عاصم منیر اور ان کی کٹھ پتلی حکومت کی بدحواسی مزید بڑھتی جا رہی ہے جس کے بعد وہ تحریک انصاف پر پابندی لگانے کا دن میں خواب دیکھنا شروع ہوگے ہیں-

جنرل عاصم منیر ہوش کے ناخن لیں اور آئین سے مزید…

— PTI (@PTIofficial) July 15, 2024

"No patriot can think of banning the largest and most popular party in the Pakistani country, doing so is tantamount to shaking the foundations of Pakistan and indulging the country to civil war," it added.

"Stop playing with fire. The nation will not bear the loss of the country to satisfy your ego."

The decision from the federal government came after the former prime minister and his party were given relief by the courts in reserved seats and Iddat cases.

"PTI and Pakistan cannot move forward together," Tarar said while addressing a press conference in Islamabad.

“In view of the foreign funding case, May 9 violents, and the cipher as well as the resolution passed in the US, we believe that there is very credible evidence present to ban PTI," the federal minister said.

Tarar further informed that the federal government would move the Supreme Court to file a petition seeking a ban on PTI.

“You [Imran Khan] 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.

“Thus, [a case against] foreign funding is established, the attacks of May 9 are established, the cipher case is established, the resolution in the US is established; therefore, the federal government has decided that, in view of all the evidence, we will move a case to ban the PTI”.