The announcement by the federal government to outlaw Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the principal opposition party, has not gone over well with the party’s primary ally, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), which has disassociated itself from the potentially divisive action.
The party created by Imran Khan, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, is a major ally of the government led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), but it was not consulted on the decision to outlaw the party, according to PPP Information Secretary Shazia Atta Marri.
Marri’s comments are made in light of the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s announcement to ban the previous ruling party due to its suspected involvement in the May 9 events, as well as attempts by PTI leaders, both past and present, to undermine Pakistan’s agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).Attaullah Tarar, the Federal Information Minister, made the announcement the day before at a press conference. He stated that Pakistan and the PTI “cannot co-exist” and that the Supreme Court and the federal cabinet would decide whether to outlaw the party.
The minister added that because of their involvement in the cipher case, the rejection of the no-confidence motion, and the lower house’s subsequent dissolution, the government would pursue additional treason cases against former president Arif Alvi, then-prime minister Khan, and deputy speaker of the National Assembly Qasim Suri.
The action sparked a fierce response from the PTI, which in turn requested that individuals who carried out the unconstitutional actions be charged under Article 6 of the Constitution.
