Islamabad, Pakistan – The Pakistani government has said it plans to ban Pakistan Terheek-e-Insaf (PTI), the party of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The announcement by Information Minister Atta Tarar on Monday came days after the Supreme Court handed a major legal victory to the PTI by declaring the party eligible for a share of reserved seats in national and provincial assemblies.

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“The government has made a decision to ban PTI after seeing all the available evidence. We will move a case to ban the party,” he said, citing accusations including the incitement of violent protests last year and the leaking of classified information.

Tarar added the case would be brought to the Supreme Court.

He also said the government planned to bring treason charges against Khan and two other senior party leaders – former President Arif Alvi and ex-Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri – as well as file a review appeal against the Supreme Court’s reserved seat case ruling.

Sayed Zulfiqar Bukhari, a senior PTI leader and party spokesperson, told Al Jazeera that the government’s decision “betrays their complete panic”.

“After realising that they cannot threaten the courts or put them under duress, or they cannot blackmail judges anymore, they have decided to make this move via cabinet. All their attempts to stop us have been declared illegal by the courts.”

More to come…