Pakistan’s government says it will ban ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan’s party, deepening turmoil

Associated Press

ISLAMABAD (AP) — Pakistan’s government says it plans to ban the party of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan on charges of illegally receiving funds from abroad and involvement in riots following his arrest last year. The decision Monday is likely to significantly deepen the country’s political turmoil, which began after Khan’s 2022 ouster in a no-confidence vote in parliament. Khan, the main rival of current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, remains a popular figure despite his convictions in a series of cases that he says are politically motivated. Khan’s party accused the coalition government headed by Sharif of panicking following a series of court rulings that threw out many of the cases against the former prime minister.