After reports emerged that the government discussed banning Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf in a high level meeting on Monday, Qamar Zaman Kaira said that no such proposal is under discussion.

Kaira, who is a member of the Pakistan Peoples Party and is part of the federal cabinet as a special assistant, said that politicians often say things like this in rallies but they are not always up for implementation. He made the statement in Faisla Aap Ka with Asma Shirazi on Aaj News.

“The meeting was consultative, but the ban was not discussed,” Kaira said.

The statement issued after Monday’s meetings stopped short of mentioning the ban despite mentioning that a hard line towards PTI had been agreed upon. However, speculation had been rife that banning the party had also been seriously discussed.

Kaira added that he disagrees with the method Imran Khan has adopted for his politics but banning political parties is not the answer.

He also said that the words Imran Khan routinely uses in his speeches are not appropriate.

He also said that the law must take its course to deal with the PTI’s attitude that led to clashes with the police. He added that if police was the aggressor, 64 policemen would not have been injured as a result.

Kaira said that the matter of Imran’s court appearances is really simple, if he has been summoned he should heed court orders. He also questioned why his life was in danger in courts when he was roaming freely on the streets of Lahore.

He added that calling workers to a court hearing could only increase the risk of a clash.