Pakistan plans to ban former Prime Minister Imran Khan's political party and ask the country's supreme court to file treason charges against him, the information minister said on Monday, quoted by "Reuters".
The move to ban Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is based on "proven" accusation that the party received foreign fundsfrom sources that are illegal in Pakistan, and riots by its supporters last year targeting military installations, Minister Attaullah Tarar said.
"The federal government will file a case to ban Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf," he said, adding that the plan would be taken up before the cabinet, which was empowered to take a decision.
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The government will also file a case against Khan and former president Arif Alvi on charges of treason under the country's constitution before the Supreme Court, Tarar said.
Khan's aide Zulfiqar Bukhari said the decision was a move towards "soft martial law". "This is a sign of panic as they have realized that the courts cannot be threatened," he said.
The latest turmoil comes at a time when the country must make politically unpopular reforms such as raising taxes on farm income in order to receive $7 billion from the IMF.
Last week, the Supreme Court ruled that the PTI is entitled to more than 20 additional reserved seats in parliament, increasing pressure on the country's weak coalition government.
PTI candidates contested the February 8 election as independents after they were not allowed to run on party lists.
It remains unclear what impact the planned ban will have on the court's decision to grant reserved seats.
Minister Tarar said the government would seek a legal review of the reserved seats issue.
The independent human rights group, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, said on social media platform X that it was "shocked" and called on the government to withdraw its decision.
Imprisoned since August, Khan was acquitted on Saturday, along with his third wife, on charges of having married illegally but he will not be released after authorities issued new arrest warrants his.
Khan was forced to leave office in 2022 after losing a no-confidence vote in parliament. At the time, he said, the military tried to remove him after he fell out with generals over disagreements over top-level security appointments.
Khan's earlier conviction resulted in a five-year ban from holding public office, barring the 71-year-old former cricketer from the upcoming February 8 election. However, Wednesday's sentence means he will not be able to hold office until he is 81.