Pakistan government announces ban on Imran Khan's PTI

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – The Pakistani government has announced it will ban Pakistan Telhekh-e-Insaf (PTI), the political party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.Information Minister Ataullah Tarar's announcement on Monday came days after the Supreme Court handed the PTI a major legal victory by awarding it some of the reserved seats  in national and provincial assemblies. "The government has considered all  available evidence and has decided to ban the PTI. We will initiate the process to ban the party," he said, citing charges including inciting violent protests last year and  leaking  classified information. Tarar added that the case would be taken to the Supreme Court.

She also said the government plans to file treason charges against Khan and two other  party leaders, former  Pakistan president Arif Alvi and former deputy speaker of parliament Qasim Suri. She also wants to appeal against the Supreme Court's ruling that  the PTI should be allotted some of the seats reserved for women and  religious minority lawmakers. 

Senior PTI politician and party spokesman Syed Zulfiqar Bukhari told Al Jazeera that the government's decision shows "complete panic."  "Realizing that they can no longer threaten or pressure the courts or intimidate judges, they have decided to take this step through a cabinet meeting. All their attempts to stop us have been declared illegal by the court," he said.