PTI chief Imran Khan has vowed that he will create a new political party to contest the upcoming general elections and win them in the event of a possible ban on his current party, Nikkei Asia reported on Friday.

In the wake of the violent nationwide protests on May 9 and the ensuing clampdown on the protesters and the PTI, many government figures had espoused calls for a ban on the party.

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah had said that banning the PTI was the only solution, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had said the move was being considered and PPP Chairman and Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had also said his party will not resist any move to impose a ban on the PTI.

Questioned about the impact of a possible ban on his electoral future by Nikkei Asia, Imran told the outlet: “If they remove the party then we will form a party with a new name and still win the elections.”

The report further quoted him as saying that “even if they disqualify me and throw me in jail, the party will still win”.

The PTI chief emphasised to the outlet that his base of supporters “remains intact” and stressed that national politics had “fundamentally changed”.

Questioned about the continued crackdown of his party, Imran said the government was “still trying to break it through intimidation”.

He said a political party could not be stopped through the use of force if the public continued to support it.

The PTI chief further said the general elections would be “completely discredited” if his party candidates were prevented from participating.

“This will make the elections useless and subsequently there will be even more destabilization in the country,” he was quoted as saying by the report.