PTI castigates PML-N’s ‘dictatorship’ over decision to ban party

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Teheeek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan termed the federal government’s decision to ban the party a ‘tactic’ to divert the public attention from burning issues, ARY News reported.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad along with other PTI leaders, Barrister Gohar said that the government wanted to ban the PTI under the garb of foreign funding.

He said that only one foreign funding case and that of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is pending, adding that the Nawaz Sharif-led party has failed to submit evidences before the Election Commission Pakistan (ECP).

“The government spokespersons are talking about banning under the foreign funding case perhaps they are not aware that a foreign funding case is also pending against them,” the PTI chairman added.

Barrister Gohar said that the government’s announcement proved that the PDM government was involved in the ‘conspiracy’ to take away the electoral symbol from PTI.

Speaking on the occasion, PTI Secretary General and Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Omar Ayub said that the Supreme Court demanded the government’s allies Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) to clear their respective stances on the announcement.

“The PPP and MQM-P claim to be the democrats but now they should clear their position on the government’s decision to ban the PTI,” Omar Ayub added.

The leader of the opposition said that such actions are being taken to divert attention from inflation and economic ‘devastation’.

Shibli Faraz said that the PML-N has resorted to dictatorship by wearing the cloak of democracy. He said that the PML-N’s track surrounded by nothing but ‘treason and corruption’.

“They have made all efforts to remove the PTI from the political scene but no avail. The people have given them an answer in the electoral results,” Shibli Faraz added.

Earlier in the day, Information Minister Atta Tarar said there are credible pieces of evidence to support a ban on the PTI and cited the party’s involvement in foreign funding, the May 9 incident, its role in the resettlement of terrorists in Pakistan, the cipher episode, and the resolution passed in the United States.

Addressing a presser, Atta Tarar said that Article 17 of the constitution empowers the federal government to ban a political party.

He stated that a reference under Article 6 will also be filed against former President Arif Alvi, former Prime Minister Imran Khan, and former Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri for violating the constitution when the assemblies were dissolved following the no-confidence motion against the then prime minister.