Wednesday May 24, 2023
PTI's Ali Zafar says "no one is following" the law.
He says he will challenge the arrest of party leaders.
Govt considering ban on PTI, says minister.
As speculations about the banning of the former ruling party are well under debate, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PIT) Senator Barrister Ali Zafar on Wednesday said that the Supreme Court will overturn the decision within 24 hours if the government bans his party.
His statement came after the chief minister said the federal government was considering banning the Imran Khan-led party following the May 9 violent riots that also saw military installations attacked.
"PTI has attacked the very foundation of the state, which has never happened before. It cannot be tolerated," Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said while addressing reporters in Islamabad.
PTI workers took to the streets after their party chief was arrested - on a "black day" as the military called it - in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case.
The PTI senator, who is fighting most of Khan's cases, told reporters outside the Islamabad High Court that vandalism was an "individual act" and "no party can be banned" based on that.
"Attempts have been made in the past to ban Jamaat-e-Islami. The Supreme Court in its earlier judgments has set a precedent that [the government] cannot ban any political party."
The PTI senator further explained that there are various laws that deal with a party resorting to violence and inciting hatred.
"If PTI is banned, then I believe the Supreme Court will overturn the decision within a day," the senator told PTI.
Arrest
Zafar added that "no one follows" the country's laws as he lamented that despite being granted bail, his party's leaders have been re-arrested.
"This is illegal. We are filing a petition against it and the court will take note of it," he added.
PTI leaders - Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Maleeka Bokhari, Musarrat Jamshed Cheema and others - were arrested minutes after they were released on bail.
Former PTI Senior Vice President Shireen Mazari has been arrested five times in two weeks. After the fifth arrest, she announced that she was leaving active politics and quitting politics.
Not only have party leaders been arrested, but thousands of workers have been jailed for the May 9 vandalism, with the military and government determined to prosecute attackers from military installations under Pakistan's Army Act and Official Secrets Act.
