Pakistan's political experts reject govt's move to ban jailed ex-PM Imran's party

Islamabad: Pakistan's political leaders and experts on Monday rejected the government's controversial move to ban jailed former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, expressing doubts if the Supreme Court would endorse it. Former prime minister and chief of the newly established Awaam Pakistan party Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that the government's decision to ban the PTI is unnecessary and uncalled for, saying that no political party in the past imposed a ban on a political party.

“Instead of banning parties, the government should sit with its opponents to address the problems faced by the country,” he said, adding that the government is repeating the same mistakes which the PTI founder (Imran Khan) committed. Talking about launching treason cases against PTI leaders, he said if they are targeted, others would also be targeted with the same article. PTI leader and barrister Ali Zafar said that legally “it was not possible to ban the PTI party”. “Those doing so live in another world because they cannot do it legally and constitutionally,” he said.

Zafar said that the ban on a party can be imposed with the approval of the Supreme Court. “It is not possible and if they are going to ban PTI, then courts are available for redressal,” he said. Awami National Party leader Mian Iftikhar Hussain also opposed the ban despite having severe differences with the rival PTI. “We have differences with the PTI but we are against banning a political party. It is not a solution to problems,” he said.

Munim Zafar of right-wing Jamaat-i-Islami, who is also the party's chief of Karachi city, also opposed the ban. “What was done by dictators in the past is now being done by a political party in a democracy. It is not possible and will fail,” he said. PTI leader and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser said the PTI rivals used every tactic to demoralise the party and its workers, “even calling us terrorists” but after the February 8 elections, the opponents lost everything.

“We will continue our struggle by using our legal rights. I urge the government to not take the path to anarchy and make wise decisions,” he said. Independent expert Ahmad Mehboob told a TV channel that nothing would come out of the decision to ban the PTI until the ban is approved by the Supreme Court. “Even if the ban is approved, the aggrieved will set up a new party within days and its supporters will join it,” he said.

Explaining the reason and timing of banning the PTI, he said that the government wants to send a message to those lawmakers of PTI who are joining it after the judgment on the reserved seats. “The immediate message is not to join PTI otherwise you will be disqualified after the party is banned,” he said. Talking about the process of the ban, lawyer Ihsan Ahmad said that the government, which means the prime minister and cabinet, can formally decide to ban a party by giving clear reasons and sending it to the Supreme Court within 15 days, which if satisfied with the reasons can endorse the ban.

“The key reason for banning could be that the party is foreign-funded and working against the interests of the country. The decision of the court will be final,” he said. Meanwhile, Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P), which is a key coalition partner of the government, said it was not consulted by the government before announcing a ban on PTI. “Our party chief, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui, is out of the country and we will decide about it when he comes back,” the party said.