Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's party may be banned

 

As an AI language model, I don't have the most up-to-date news unless it has been widely reported on the internet. However, based on my last knowledge cutoff date of September 2021, I can tell you that there were reports of the Pakistan government considering banning Imran Khan's party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), for allegedly receiving funding from illegal sources. The matter was being investigated by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which had issued a show-cause notice to the PTI in August 2021. However, it is important to note that these were just allegations and the outcome of the investigation is not yet clear.

The minister referred to protests by Khan supporters, who this month attacked military installations, including army headquarters, and government buildings.

PTI party lawyer Ali Zafar said any such move would be challenged in court. He said an entire party cannot be blamed for acts committed by individuals.

Khan became prime minister in 2018 with the tacit support of the military, though both sides denied it at the time. The military saw Khan, with his conservative, nationalist agenda, as likely to ensure the protection of its interests.

But Khan later fell out with the generals after being seen as having tried to interfere in key promotions in the security sphere, and he was ousted as prime minister after losing a confidence vote in 2022.

Khan, 70, has since then been campaigning for a snap general election, rallying supporters across the country. But the prime minister who replaced him, Shahbaz Sharif, has rejected the call for an election before one is due late this year.

Khan is also facing corruption charges that he has dismissed as being cooked in a bid to banish him from politics.

Khan was detained on May 9 in connection with the charges, sparking the protests by his supporters and their attacks on the military facilities. He was later freed on bail.

Anti-graft agency investigators questioned him for about three hours on Tuesday.