PML-N moves resolution in Punjab Assembly to ban PTI
Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Rana Muhammad Fayyaz has submitted a resolution in the Punjab Assembly secretariat, seeking a ban on arch-rivals Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
The resolution demands stringent action against former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s PTI, labelling the party a "disruptive group" operating under the guise of a political party, and calls for those responsible for the November 24 protests to be brought to justice.
A similar resolution was introduced in the Balochistan Assembly on Thursday, accusing PTI of committing acts of violence and taking on the form of a “political anarchist group”.
The resolution was moved by Balochistan Minister for Communications and Works Mir Saleem Ahmad Khosa, provincial ministers Mir Sadiq Umrani, Mir Asim Kurd Gelo, Raheela Hamid Khan Durrani, Bakht Mohammad Kakar and parliamentary secretaries against the PTI’s actions during the recent protests.
The resolution read, “This kind of anarchist agenda of the PTI has badly affected every system and school of thought in the country, including the judiciary, the media and the country’s economy.”
The opposition in the Balochistan Assembly staged a walkout in protest, decrying the mistreatment of former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party.
The resolution accused the PTI of orchestrating violent demonstrations, including assault on public and military installations during the May 9 protests last year. It also criticised the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for allegedly using state resources to challenge federal authority, describing such actions as part of a “non-political agenda.”
PTI’s recent “do-or-die” protest in the federal capital ended abruptly after a government crackdown that resulted in the apprehendation of 1,151 protesters, including 64 Afghan nationals. Authorities claimed to have confiscated weapons, ball bearings, and spiked clubs from the detained Afghans.
Meanwhile, PTI leader Salman Akram Raja alleged that 20 protesters were killed during the demonstrations—a claim that the authorities have denied.
Earlier, Senator Faisal Vawda, while appearing on the Geo News programme Capital Talk on Wednesday, had claimed that former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan's party will be banned.
Faisal Vawda stated, “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister [Ali Amin Gandapur] will not be arrested, but Bushra Bibi [Imran Khan’s wife] will.”
Faisal Vawda also pointed out the absence of PTI’s big names during the recent protest: “Where was Omar Ayub Khan, Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly?"
He alleged that the former First Lady has a “major role” in bringing founder Imran Khan’s party to a “dead end.”
It should be mentioned here that PTI marched towards Islamabad on the “final call” of party founder Imran Khan.
PTI demanded the reversal of the recently passed 26th Constitution Amendment, the “stolen mandate,” and the release of all party political prisoners, including Imran Khan.