PTI leaders have derided the government’s press conference following the ban on Tehreek-e-Insaf. They termed the government’s announcement a violation of the Supreme Court verdict.
While addressing a press conference, Omar Ayub, Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly, claimed that the leadership of PML-N had been planning this in Murree for three days. He alleged that Nawaz Sharif, Shehbaz Sharif, and Maryam Nawaz were behind this plan. Mentioning Ata Tarar’s press conference, Ayub said it was an attempt to divert attention from inflation and Form 47 status, among other national issues.
Accusations Against Government
Ayub accused PML-N of attacking the Supreme Court and called the current government a minority based on Form 47. He said PPP, MQM, and other allies were unhappy with the government and urged them not to support undemocratic actions.
Senator Shibli Faraz dismissed the government’s press conference as political surrender and accused PML-N of corruption and playing fixed matches.
Legal Stance on Ban
PTI leader Asad Qaiser said the government tried every trick against PTI but failed. He reminded the court that the Supreme Court recognized PTI as a political party, so banning it isn’t simple. Qaiser promised to continue fighting against them at each forum.
Senator Shibli Faraz reiterated it was just a diversion, labeled the attempt to ban PTI futile, asked the PPP to prove itself as Bhutto’s party, and criticized the government for trying to destabilize the country politically.
Judicial Perspective & Future Actions
Barrister Ali Zafar stated no court, including SC, will uphold the ban on PTI; joined the party under ideology; therefore, SC decision must be respected; warned to take action against CEC & members who don’t comply with SC verdicts.
Opposition from Other Political Parties
PPP, JUI-F, Jamaat-e-Islami, and ANP opposed the government’s ban on PTI. Raza Rabbani (member of PPP’s CEC) said such acts go against democratic principles and advised them not to do so; history shows it never works well for the country’s political stability and economy. Farhatullah Babar (senior leader of PPP) said this would further increase the crisis. Khurshid Shah said they were not consulted on the decision; political dialogue should be used to resolve issues.
Voices from Jamaat-e-Islami and Other Opposition Leaders
Jamaat-e-Islami’s Amir Hafiz Naeem, your Rehman, called it an example of authoritarianism and claimed there is no room for such decisions in democratic societies. Liaqat Baloch (JI’s senior leader) called the government’s decision absurd and politically motivated.
JUI-F’s Hafiz Hamdullah questioned if it was genuinely from the government or a guise for authoritarian rule and doubted its ability to bring political & economic stability.
The ANP’s engineer, Ihsanullah Khan, is the party’s central spokesperson. Criticized this decision as foolish and said banning political parties should not be done. After the Supreme Court’s announcement, the Government became restless. Started taking steps out of desperation – they’re just trying anything, said Sardar Akhtar Jan Mengal from BNP mockingly. He sarcastically gave the idea of creating a military democratic party, which means such decisions will boomerang.
Opposition parties have expressed their unanimous disagreement with the government’s decision to ban Tehreek-e-Insaf. Warning them about the severe political instability it may bring and calling for democratic processes to be restored immediately.
