Besides Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, leaders of other political parties have also criticised the decision. (File)
Washington:
The United States expressed “concern” over the Pakistani government’s moves to ban the political party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, stressing that Washington will “continue to monitor these decisions and any future decisions of the court.”
In the latest attempt to stifle the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party of jailed former premier Khan, the federal government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced on Monday its decision to ban Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf and file case under Article 6 against 71-year-old Imran Khan, 78-year-old former president Arif Alvi and others.
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led government also said Imran Khan’s party had received illegal foreign funds and was involved in violence and “anti-national” activities.
“We understand that this is the beginning of a complex political process,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said at a regular press briefing on Monday. “Any banning of political interests or political parties is certainly a major concern for us,” Miller said in Washington, responding to questions from reporters.
Matthew Miller said the United States supports “peaceful observance of our constitutional and democratic principles, including respect for human rights and freedom of expression.”
He added that the United States supports democratic processes, including the rule of law and equal access to justice, and that Washington will continue to “monitor these and future decisions by the Court.”
Matthew Miller also discussed political violence in the wake of the assassination attempt on Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, saying the US “abhors and opposes and condemns political violence in any country, including Pakistan.”
Matthew Miller was responding to a question comparing the recent assassination attempt on President Trump with a similar attack on former prime minister Imran Khan, who was jailed in November 2022.
“We support the rule of law in Pakistan and all countries in the world and want democratic principles and the fundamental human and democratic rights of our people to be respected,” he added.
The move to ban Imran Khan’s party is seen as an attempt by the government to stop Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf from becoming the largest party in parliament. The announcement came soon after the Supreme Court granted relief to the party in the seat reservation case and to its leaders in the Iddat case.
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf received a major boost last week when a Supreme Court ruling declared it eligible for seat allocations, depriving the ruling coalition of a two-thirds majority in parliament.
The move drew strong opposition from Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, which demanded that Article 6 of the Constitution be invoked against those committing unconstitutional acts, despite the country having a constitution.
Besides Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, leaders of political parties like Pakistan People’s Party, Awami National Party, Jamiat Ulama-e-Islam and Jamaat-e-Islami have also criticised the decision.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
