There is no choice except to put a ban on PTI: Sanaullah

Following three days of violent demonstrations following the arrest of party head Imran Khan in the Al-Qadir Trust case, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah declared Saturday that the only choice is to outlaw the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

His remarks come a day after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) gave the PTI president blanket immunity, preventing police from detaining him in any matter until May 15 (Monday).

“It is critical to take a stand against armed groups.” “We have no choice but to impose a ban on this party [PTI],” the interior minister stated during a news conference in Islamabad.

He claimed the coalition government headed by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) would be forced to take drastic steps to ban the opposition party “if it did not change its attitude.”

According to Sanaullah, the PTI chief’s only goal is to promote chaos and disorder across the nation.

During the national violent demonstrations, he held the Khan-led party’s workers and supporters accountable for trashing public property and assaulting military sites around the country.

“The government will bring these ‘gangs’ to justice.” “They [miscreants] will be identified by CCTV cameras and apprehended one by one,” he continued.

He further slammed the courts for providing respite to the PTI chairman, claiming that if Khan had not been given relief, the situation would have been brought under control.

The Interior Minister’s press conference occurred only hours after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif instructed the Punjab government to act quickly and arrest the vandals within 72 hours during a visit to the Corps Commander House in Lahore, which was trashed by PTI demonstrators.

“I have given law enforcement apparatus a target of 72 hours to arrest all those involved in facilitating, abetting, and perpetrating the disgraceful incidents of arson, ransacking, sabotage, and damaging public & private properties,” the Prime Minister said after chairing a meeting at the Punjab Safe City Authority Headquarters in Lahore.

During the two-day demonstrations, at least ten people were murdered and others were injured, while internet connections were also halted throughout the nation for more than 72 hours.

After supporters stormed army posts, the army said that May 9, 2023 — the day instability engulfed the country after Khan’s arrest — would be remembered as a “dark chapter” in history.

The army termed the PTI leaders “hypocrites” for inciting their workers against the armed forces on the one hand while praising the military on the other in an attempt to conceal their criticism.

Khan has previously lambasted the military, and after his detention, his followers increased the stakes by torching the corps commander’s apartment in Lahore and destroying the gate to the army’s headquarters in Rawalpindi.