Imran Khan led political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will be banned in the country on the grounds of creating riots and unrest, illegal foreign funding to the party, and alleged conspiracy against the state. The Pakistan government’s move to ban PTI is unconstitutional and will not stand the test in the Supreme Court.
By taking such a move the ruling coalition government seems desperate for power and could lead to chaos and social unrest. The decision has been condemned by many political parties, Human Rights groups, lawyers and analysts. This experiment will certainly fail and will only add to the popularity of Imran Khan.
Banning Imran Khan’s party could lead to political unrest
Political analysts are worried that banning Imran Khan’s party which is popular among the masses could lead to political and social unrest. This decision could usher the government’s downfall and political instability in Pakistan. This will increase PTI’s popularity and will turn counterproductive for the coalition government. As banning the party is unconstitutional it will surely go to the supreme court and will intensify the clash going on between the judiciary and the military.
Two Supreme Court’s ruling preceding the ban
The ban followed after the apex court rulings favored the party and setting stage for it to become the largest party in the National Assembly.
The Supreme Court gave a ruling making PTI eligible for reserved seats in the National Assembly. And also overturned the conviction of Imran Khan in the Iddat case where he was accused of having fraudulent marriage or illegal marriage.
Khan is facing several other charges including corruption and treason too, which he claims are politically motivated.
Imran Khan’s popularity is at all time high
Imran Khan is a different face in Pakistan where people have seen only a few families dominating politics. He ascended to power in 2018 campaigning against anti-west and anti-corruption. He was ousted by the military establishment in 2022 after having a dispute with the military. The state was facing high inflation and low growth of the economy. Military quietly withdrew its support from the party and Imran Khan had to face a vote of no-confidence in the parliament in April 2022.
Imran Khan’s popularity soared after he was toppled by the military. He began to position himself as a rebel of the establishment who earlier instated him as a puppet PM. His supporters staged weeks of protest after his removal and even clashed with the security forces.
He also survived an assassination attempt on him which took place in Nov 2022 when his convoy came under fire in eastern Punjab province. He alleged that the sitting PM Shehbaz Sharif and his close aides colluding with foreign powers were behind the attack.
In Feb 2024, parliamentary polls came as a surprise to many people since Imran Khan led PTI won most seats even though he was banned from standing in the election and jailed. PTI backed candidates won most seats even when they were contesting as independents. Khan refused to make coalition with any major party i.e. PML-N (Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz) and the PPP (Pakistan Peoples Party). As of now these two major parties are ruling as a coalition government in Pakistan.
The ruling establishment should accept the ground realities and must work on their economic policies. Cash-strapped Pakistan recently struck an agreement with the IMF to acquire a $7 billion loan.
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