Khan party faces ban after court win

Pakistan plans to ban former prime minister Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, the information minister said yesterday.

The decision was based on a number of factors, including the charge that Khan's PTI had received foreign funds from sources that are illegal in Pakistan, as well as rioting by the party's leadership and supporters last year that targeted military installations, Attaullah Tarar said.

"The federal government will move a case to ban the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf," Tarar said, saying the matter would go to cabinet and the supreme court if needed. PTI candidates contested the February 8 election as independents after it was barred from the polls.

The supreme court ruled on Friday that the party was eligible for more than 20 extra reserved seats in parliament, ramping up pressure on the weak coalition government.

It was not immediately clear what impact the planned ban would have on the court's decision to grant reserved seats.

Tarar said the government would also seek a legal review of the reserved seats issue.

Jailed since August, Khan was on Saturday acquitted, along with his third wife, on charges that they married unlawfully but he will not be freed after authorities issued new orders to arrest him.

Khan came to power in 2018 and was ousted in 2022 after falling out with Pakistan's military.

REUTERS