PTI chief and Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan said that he will launch a new political party to contest the upcoming general election if his party gets banned by the government, media reported.
“If they remove the party, then we will form a party with a new name and still win the elections… even if they disqualify me and throw me in jail, the party will still win,” Imran Khan said.
In May, Pakistani Minister Rana Sanaullah said that banning the PTI was the only solution, and that the government is exploring how to ban the party.
Violent protests by supporters of ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan rocked Pakistan on May 9 after his arrest from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in a corruption case. At least eight people were killed, about 300 were injured, and 2,800 people (mostly party supporters) were detained.
The protestors also targeted several military installations, including the General Headquarters (GHQ), the head office of the Pakistan Army.
Paramilitary forces arrested Khan on corruption charges. Pakistan's Supreme Court ruled Khan's arrest illegal a few days later and let him go on bail until May 31 on some charges and until June 8 on others. In early June, court in Islamabad suspended the arrest warrant for the former prime minister until June 19.
Meanwhile, government allies, including Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, said his party would not resist any move to impose a ban on the PTI.