ISLAMABAD, July 16, (AP): Pakistan’s government plans to file treason charges against imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan for wrongfully dissolving parliament in 2022 and to ban his political party for allegedly receiving foreign funding, the information minister said Monday.
The moves are certain to deepen the country’s political turmoil, which began after Khan’s 2022 ouster in a no-confidence vote in parliament. Khan, the main rival of current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, remains a popular figure despite a series of criminal cases against him that he and his supporters say are politically motivated.
Khan's spokesman said the government's latest moves are a desperate response to recent court verdicts throwing out previous convictions against Khan, and an independent human rights commission urged the government to withdraw the plans.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the government would file treason cases against Khan, former President Arif Alvi and then-Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri for wrongfully dissolving the National Assembly in April 2022 during Khan's final days in power.
Tarar also said the government has "credible evidence” that Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has received money from people and groups overseas, which is banned under Pakistani law. The government also accuses the party of inciting nationwide riots following Khan's arrest last year.
Tarar said the allegations against the party allow the government to ban it under Pakistan’s Constitution, but that the decision would be referred to the Supreme Court for its approval.
Khan’s spokesman Zulfiqar Bukhari said the government moves to ban PTI are politically motivated. "This is a sign of panic as they have realized the courts can’t be threatened and put under pressure,” he said, adding that the government's latest moves show that the country is "under soft martial law.”