Punjab assembly passes resolution seeking ban on PTI and Imran Khan

The Punjab Assembly on Wednesday passed a resolution calling for a ban on jailed former prime minister Imran Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, as tensions between the governing Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the opposition intensified.

The resolution, moved by PML-N lawmaker Tahir Pervaiz, was approved by treasury members. PTI legislators boycotted the session after the government blocked meetings with Khan at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail, says Dawn.

The resolution described the PTI and its leader as "anti-state" and said the party had allegedly acted as a "tool of the enemy state" and promoted disorder. It accused Khan of making statements against the country and emphasised the role of state institutions in maintaining national stability. It also called for "appropriate punishment" for any individual or group acting unlawfully.

Political temperatures rose further after Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry criticised Khan — without naming him — for creating and spreading an "anti-army" narrative that he said posed a "national security threat."

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said the government might consider measures such as a ban on the PTI or governor's rule if the party did not change its approach. She compared Khan to "Altaf Hussain Part Two," alleging he had pushed Pakistan toward global isolation and used a foreign-based propaganda cell for campaigns against state institutions and the military.

Sit-in Outside Adiala Jail

Separately, supporters of Imran Khan gathered outside Adiala Jail after his sisters were again denied a meeting with him, despite a court order permitting family visits on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Aleema Khan, who led the sit-in, said keeping her brother isolated and tortured was "unconstitutional and illegal," adding that "they are violating the Constitution and breaking the law." She said Khan had not been allowed to meet his personal physician for 14 months. Riot police stopped her and a group of supporters about a kilometre from the prison.

PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, present nearby, urged authorities to allow access to the former prime minister, saying that doing so would "improve the situation." Party leaders said workers were "charged," particularly after the DG ISPR's remarks, and prepared for a prolonged sit-in until one of Khan's sisters was permitted to meet him.

The developments underscored heightened political frictions, with legislative actions against the PTI coinciding with street protests and disputes over Khan's access to family and legal counsel.