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Islamabad: Pakistan is considering banning the former prime minister Imran Khan party And the Minister of Defense said, on Wednesday, about attacking the state, a decision that is likely to infuriate his supporters and escalate his confrontation with the military establishment.
The former cricket star is embroiled in the latest defining phase of the decades-old rivalry between civilian politicians and the powerful military, which has ruled or oversaw governments throughout Pakistan’s history.
The standoff sparked widespread protests from Khan’s supporters, raising fresh concerns about the stability of the nuclear-armed country as it grapples with its worst economic crisis in decades.
defense minister Khawaja Asif Reporters that Khan Tehreek-e-Insaf Pakistan The PTI attacked “the very foundation of the state”, which cannot be tolerated.
“A ban on the movement is being considered,” he said, adding that parliament would have to give final approval to the government’s decision to ban the party.
The minister referred to the demonstrators of Khan’s supporters who this month attacked military installations, including army headquarters and government buildings.
Neither Khan nor a PTI spokesperson could be reached for comment.
Khan became prime minister in 2018 with the tacit support of the military, although this was denied by both sides at the time. The military saw Khan, with his conservative nationalist agenda, as likely to ensure that his interests were protected.
But Khan later fell out with the generals after they were seen as trying to interfere with key promotions in the security field, and he was ousted as prime minister after losing a confidence vote in 2022.
Since then, Khan, 70, has been campaigning for a snap general election, rallying supporters across the country, but the prime minister he replaced, Shehbaz Sharif, has refused to call an election before it is due late this year.
Khan is also facing corruption charges, which he dismissed as cooking in a bid to distance him from politics.
Khan was arrested on May 9 on charges against him, which sparked protests by his supporters and attacks on military installations.
Khan was later released on bail.
Anti-graft agency investigators questioned him for three hours on Tuesday.
The former cricket star is embroiled in the latest defining phase of the decades-old rivalry between civilian politicians and the powerful military, which has ruled or oversaw governments throughout Pakistan’s history.
The standoff sparked widespread protests from Khan’s supporters, raising fresh concerns about the stability of the nuclear-armed country as it grapples with its worst economic crisis in decades.
defense minister Khawaja Asif Reporters that Khan Tehreek-e-Insaf Pakistan The PTI attacked “the very foundation of the state”, which cannot be tolerated.
“A ban on the movement is being considered,” he said, adding that parliament would have to give final approval to the government’s decision to ban the party.
The minister referred to the demonstrators of Khan’s supporters who this month attacked military installations, including army headquarters and government buildings.
Neither Khan nor a PTI spokesperson could be reached for comment.
Khan became prime minister in 2018 with the tacit support of the military, although this was denied by both sides at the time. The military saw Khan, with his conservative nationalist agenda, as likely to ensure that his interests were protected.
But Khan later fell out with the generals after they were seen as trying to interfere with key promotions in the security field, and he was ousted as prime minister after losing a confidence vote in 2022.
Since then, Khan, 70, has been campaigning for a snap general election, rallying supporters across the country, but the prime minister he replaced, Shehbaz Sharif, has refused to call an election before it is due late this year.
Khan is also facing corruption charges, which he dismissed as cooking in a bid to distance him from politics.
Khan was arrested on May 9 on charges against him, which sparked protests by his supporters and attacks on military installations.
Khan was later released on bail.
Anti-graft agency investigators questioned him for three hours on Tuesday.
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