Last updated on August 27th, 2024 at 04:52 pm
The US has expressed “great concern” over the ban by the Pakistani government on the party of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and underlined that Washington will continue to “monitor these decisions and further actions by the courts.”
The government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz announced on Monday a ban on the PTI, adding it was seeking Article 6 proceedings against 71-year-old Imran Khan and 78-year-old former President Arif Alvi. The Khan’s party has been accused of receiving illicit foreign funding, provoking riots, and “anti-state” activities.
US Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller told reporters during a daily briefing, “Our understanding is that this is the beginning of what is going to be a complex political process.
Miller further said the US supports democratic processes and principles such as rule of law and equal justice under the law and will continue to closely watch the situation. He than turned to cases of political violence, citing a recent attempt to kill Republican presidential nominee candidate Donald Trump and condemnation of political violence in any country, including Pakistan.
The move to ban Imran Khan’s party seems to keep PTI off its way to be the single largest party in the national assembly. The announcement seems to have been based on a verdict by the Supreme Court on the reserved seats case and relief given to Khan in the Iddat case on the same day. Last week, PTI got a shot in the arm when the Supreme Court declared them eligible for reserved seats thereby denying the ruling coalition a two-thirds majority in the National Assembly.
PTI, in turn, has demanded that Article 6 of the Constitution be invoked against all those involved in what they perceived as unconstitutional actions when a fundamental law of the land was there. Other political leaders have taken to social media criticizing the move by the government to banPTI.