ISLAMABAD (Reuters) -Pakistan is considering banning former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Wednesday.
The move comes days amid political instability in the nuclear-armed nation caused by Khan’s arrest on May 9 on corruption charges, before he was released on bail on court orders.
The embattled Khan, who says corruption charges have been concocted, is embroiled in a confrontation with the powerful military, which has ruled Pakistan directly or overseen civilian governments throughout its history.
“It is under consideration to ban PTI,” Asif told reporters. “The PTI has attacked very basis of the state, that never happened before. It can’t be tolerated”.
Khan’s arrest sparked deadly protests across the country, with army establishments being attacked and state buildings set ablaze.
(Reporting by Asif Shahzad; Writing by Shivam Patel; Editing by Toby Chopra)
