Pakistan: Punjab cabinet approves undertaking legal action against Imran Khan and his party leaders

Islamabad [Pakistan], May 25 (ANI): The Punjab cabinet has approved undertaking legal action against former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and other Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders for building a “hateful narrative against the state institutions,” Pakistan-based Dawn reported.

The decision was taken in a Punjab cabinet meeting chaired by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, according to the statement released by the provincial government.

While addressing a press conference in Lahore, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said the home department had submitted an inquiry report which allegedly revealed that PTI members were “spreading mischief inside and outside the (Adiala) jail.”

Azma Bokhari alleged that the PTI spread propaganda that Imran Khan was not permitted to meet anyone. She further said that the party was “spreading hate as part of organised propaganda”.

Bokhari said it was decided to register a complaint according to the report presented by the home ministry, according to Dawn report.

She said, “To spread incitement in the country, to destabilize the country, to spread hatred against the institutions in the country, that is the total agenda of this party,” adding that Imran Khan’s party was not thinking about the country’s benefit.

Last week, the Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly criticized Pakistan’s military establishment over its alleged political role. He indirectly called for the trial of the director general of the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) under Article 6 over his “political press conference,” according to Dawn report.

He made the remarks after ISPR Director General Major General Ahmed Sharif said that any talks with the PTI could happen only if it “earnestly apologises publicly in front of the nation.” The PTI had called the ISPR’s press conference as “full of contradictions”.

Earlier on Thursday, the Capital Development Authority demolished a portion of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) central secretariat in Islamabad over a “violation of building rules”, Geo News reported, adding that the Imran Khan-founded party came down heavily on the CDA over its action.

In a statement, the CDA said its anti-encroachment team launched an operation on Thursday to remove illegal construction and encroachment. The operation started around 11.30 pm (local time) and ended in an hour.

The CDA said encroachment by a ‘political party’ was being removed, adding that the plot was allotted in the name of a person identified as Sartaj Ali. The CDA said an additional floor was built on the plot in violation of the building rules, according to Geo News.

The government body said it had issued notices to PTI but to no avail. As the operation was being conducted, the party founded by former PM Imran Khan urged its workers to immediately arrive at the secretariat.

The PTI said that the government began demolishing the office in an “illegal and unjust manner.” While the CDA said that it had issued several notices to PTI, the party chairman, Barrister Gohar Khan, said they had not received any orders from the CDA.

Khan said that CDA officials were asked to provide documents about the operation, however, they were unable to produce them. He stated, “If there had been any encroachments and they had informed us about them earlier, we would have removed them ourselves.”