ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government’s two major allies, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), discussed a plan to ban the main opposition party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The government announced earlier on Wednesday its plan to ban PTI and try Imran Khan, along with two others senior PTI leaders – former President of Pakistan Arif Alvi and ex-Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Qasim Suri – on treason charges under Article 6 of the Constitution.
During the meeting, the allied parties discussed the Supreme Court’s verdict on reserved seats. The ruling party seeks to take the PPP into confidence over its plan to ban the PTI, which has drawn criticism from several political figures, including the Awami National Party (ANP), Jamiat-e-Ulema-e-Islam–Fazl (JUI-F), Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Balochistan Awami Party-Mengal (BNP-M), and Awaam Pakistan Party (APP).
Local media reports say that PPP offered complete support to PML-N’s review petition in the apex court regarding the allocation of reserved seats but refrained from taking a stance on the issue of banning the PTI.
The two key political allies agreed to initially discuss the issue of banning PTI within their respective parties and later bring it before parliament. Subsequently, the matter will be presented to the federal cabinet, sources said.
The media reports further stated that the PPP delegation urged the government to carefully consider the future implications of such decisions.
Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar and Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Awan briefed the meeting on the case concerning reserved seats and the legalities of the government’s plan to ban the PTI.
However, members of the PPP’s legal team expressed concerns about the potential future repercussions of these decisions. They stressed the need for thorough consultation and consensus before making any public announcements.
The two parties agreed to reach decisions regarding the PTI with unanimity, reports say.
The PPP delegation insisted that the PML-N must consult with them before making critical decisions, stressing the importance of party consensus and cautioning against unilateral government actions.
The meeting, attended by key government and party figures including Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar, Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Ahad Cheema, Irfan Qadir, Information Minister Ataullah Tarar, Farooq H. Naik, Senator Sherry Rehman, and Attorney General Mansoor Awan, lasted approximately one and a half hours.
