The federal government’s announcement to ban the main opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) did not bode well for its key ally the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), which distanced itself from the likely controversial move.
PPP Information Minister Shazia Atta Marri said Bilawal Bhutto Zardari’s party, a key ally of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N)-led government at the centre, was not consulted on the move to ban the party founded by Imran Khan.
Marri’s remarks come against the backdrop of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government announcing a ban on the former ruling party for its alleged involvement in the May 9 events and attempts by former or current PTI leaders to sabotage Pakistan’s deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The decision was revealed by Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, who, while addressing a press conference a day earlier, said PTI and Pakistan “cannot co-exist” and the matter of banning the party would go to the federal cabinet and the Supreme Court. .
The minister also said the government would continue to file treason charges against then-Prime Minister Khan, then-Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly Qasim Suri and former President Arif Alvi – for their role in the cipher case, the rejection of the no-confidence motion and the subsequent dissolution of the lower house.
The move drew a strong reaction from the PTI, which in turn also demanded the use of Article 6 of the Constitution against those who took unconstitutional steps despite the fact that there is a constitution in the country.
The party called on the ruling coalition allies, including the PPP and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P), to clarify their position on the said issue.
Elaborating on the PPP’s stand, Marri said the party would consult the government’s decision to ban the PTI.
Meanwhile, Sindh Planning & Development and Energy Minister Nasir Hussain Shah said the PPP was “not in favor of banning any political party”.
“We were not consulted,” he said.
Meanwhile, PPP Senator Sherry Rehman, speaking on Geo News’ ‘Geo Pakistan’ programme, corroborated the remarks of Marri and Shah that they were not consulted and noted that the party had no idea that such a move by the Center would be taken and that the party
Responding to a question regarding their alliance with the PML-N, the senator acknowledged that the government’s move should not surprise them as they are allies.
“We’ve worked with allies before where every move was made with careful due consideration to its consequences.
“I have no idea at what level this whole issue has been discussed by the government,” she said.
Asked if banning the PTI would achieve anything, Rehman said in the negative, saying, “My personal view is that it will not achieve anything […] Even though the PPP has been subjected to various tactics in the past, it is still strong today.”
“I am of the opinion that by banning or censoring you will not stop anything or anyone, there are other ways to make someone mend their ways,” the PPP leader said.
The PPP’s move to distance itself from the PML-N government’s decision is significant as the party is a key ally of the Prime Minister Shehbaz-led administration and holds a key political and parliamentary position as neither party was able to win a simple majority in February. 8 polls.
The support of Bilawal’s party is therefore essential for the survival of the Center as PTI-backed independent candidates – who emerged as the single largest group in the general elections – received a major boost through the SC ruling declaring them eligible for reserved seats.
The development deprived the ruling coalition of a two-thirds majority in the NA. According to PTI leader Asad Qaiser, the party may also consider a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Shehbaz once it secures enough seats.
The senator’s remarks echo those made by other senior PPP leaders, including former Senate chairman Mian Raza Rabbani, who opposed the government’s decision.
He said talk of banning a political party was against all norms of democracy and the government should refrain from taking such a step which would add to political chaos and hamper the economy.
