Imran Khan’s party may be banned, says Pakistan minister

Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan’s political party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) could be banned, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said.

The arrest of Mr Khan this month caused unrest across the country after he was accused of corruption.

It was alleged that he had enriched himself in a deal with a property developer.

He was later released on bail on court orders.

Mr Khan said the charges against him had been concocted by his opponents.

He has been embroiled in a confrontation with the powerful military, which has ruled Pakistan directly or overseen civilian governments throughout its history.

“It is under consideration to ban PTI,” Mr Asif told reporters yesterday.

“The PTI has attacked the very basis of the state – that never happened before. It can’t be tolerated.”

Mr Asif claimed that Mr Khan has begun to regard the Pakistan military as an adversary.

Following Mr Khan’s arrest, army personnel were attacked and government buildings set ablaze.

Last week, Mr Khan said his life might be in danger in the unrest.

He was toppled from power on April 10 last year and survived an assassination attempt in November.

In Islamabad this week, he said he expected to be arrested for a second time.

“There’s been one assassination attempt – I was lucky to survive,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Monday.

“Yes, there is danger to my life. But much more worrying for us is the danger to our democracy right now.”

Following his abrupt arrest after appearing in court on May 9, Mr Khan said he was “abducted by the army”.

“I was treated like some terrorist,” he said. “People around me were beaten up, I was hit by a stick.

“When these images went out there was a reaction. Any investigation will reveal there were elements that were planted inside that went out of their way to burn government buildings.”

His supporters set fire to buildings and vehicles and attacked police and military personnel. The clashes resulted in dozens of deaths and authorities arrested more than 4,000 people.