Pakistan government is considering to initiate legal proceedings to declare former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party a banned outfit, local media reported.
His remarks came after police claimed to have seized weapons and petrol bombs from the former premier's residence in Lahore
Speaking at a press conference in Lahore, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Saturday said that the legal team of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) was examining the matter.
He, however, clarified that the prerogative to officially ban a political party lies with the judiciary.
“Terrorists were hiding in Zaman Park. Weapons, petrol bombs, etc have been recovered from the residence of Imran Khan which is enough evidence to file a case against the PTI for being a militant organisation,” Sanaullah was quoted as saying.
On the government’s plan to initiate the process to ban Khan’s party, the minister said: “Primarily it is a judicial process to declare any party proscribed. However, we will consult our legal team on the issue.”
The push to declare Khan’s party a “militant organisation” came from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s niece Maryam Nawaz, who is also the senior vice president of the PML-N party.