Pakistan’s government has declared its intent to ban Tehreek-e-Insaf, the political party led by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, citing “credible evidence” of foreign funding.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar announced the planned ban on Monday, adding that the cabinet also seeks to file new treason charges against Khan. These actions come just days after a court overturned previous convictions against Khan, raising concerns about a politically motivated crackdown.
Khan, who remains imprisoned on corruption charges, was ousted from office in April 2022. Since then, he has faced numerous indictments, which his party has attributed to political motives. The government’s claim of foreign funding for Tehreek-e-Insaf, if proven, would violate Pakistani law.
The cabinet also accused the party of instigating widespread unrest following Khan’s arrest last year. This accusation stems from the violent protests that erupted in May 2023, plunging Pakistan into a political crisis that only subsided after the Supreme Court ordered Khan’s release. He was later rearrested and imprisoned on corruption charges.
“The federal government will move a case to ban the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf,” Tarar asserted, arguing that the latest allegations warrant the ban. However, media reports suggest that the Supreme Court would still need to approve the decision.
According to Tarar, the cabinet will also file fresh treason charges against Khan and former President Arif Alvi for allegedly improperly dissolving the National Assembly in April 2022, during Khan’s final days in power. Khan, who assumed office in 2018, was removed through a no-confidence vote.
Khan’s spokesman, Zulfiqar Bukhari, dismissed the government’s actions as politically motivated, stating, “This is a sign of panic as they have realized the courts can’t be threatened and put under pressure.”
These developments follow a Pakistani court’s decision two days prior to overturn seven-year sentences imposed on Khan and his wife, Bushra, for allegedly violating Islamic law by marrying too soon after her divorce. Earlier in June, the Islamabad High Court also overturned a sentence against Khan for allegedly leaking state secrets.
These convictions had been used to disqualify Khan and his party from participating in the February elections. However, the Supreme Court subsequently ruled that Tehreek-e-Insaf was unjustly denied at least 20 additional seats in parliament, delivering a blow to the ruling coalition.
Pakistan’s Human Rights Commission has voiced concerns that banning the party would only “achieve nothing more than deeper polarization and a strong likelihood of political chaos and violence.”
Khan has accused the Pakistani military and the United States of orchestrating his removal from office, claiming that Washington conspired to overthrow his government following his visit to Russia. On Monday, Minister Tarar, in turn, accused the former prime minister of attempting to undermine relations between Islamabad and Washington.