Govt decides to ban PTI over 'anti-state activities'

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Attaullah Tarar on Monday said that the government has decided to ban Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for their 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.

The decision 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”.

The PML-N leader also said the government would file a review petition in the apex court against its verdict that declared PTI eligible for reserved seats for women and minorities in the national and provincial assemblies.

Sharing videos of the time when Imran Khan, Qasim Suri and Arif Alvi dissolved the assemblies ahead of the no-confidence motion, Tarra said that the government will lodge treason cases against the trio for breaching the Constitution of Pakistan.

"No more. Enough is enough. They [PTI] have played with the country's fate too much," he added.

However, he said the references against the PTI stalwarts under Article 6 will be sent to the apex court after the primer Shehbaz Shairf's federal cabinet's approval.