Virendra Pandit
New Delhi: Ahead of his two sons’ likely arrival from London to lead protests in Pakistan, Imran Khan is laying the ground for a potential showdown with the Shehbaz Sharif government, seeking his release from jail.
Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi, who is in jail for over two years and facing dozens of court cases, is worried for his life and blamed Asim Munir for “harsh treatment,” as he held the Army chief responsible if he died.
In a lengthy post on X (formerly Twitter), Imran Khan, who has been languishing in Adiala jail for the past two years along with his third wife, Bushra Bibi, said they were being deprived of basic human rights, the media reported on Thursday.
Complaining of “harsh treatment” in jail, he appealed to his party workers to hold the Army chief accountable if anything happens to him.
The 72-year-old cricketer-turned-politician has been in jail since 2023 after being convicted in a web of alleged corruption cases.
“In recent days, the harsh treatment I face in jail has intensified. The same applies to my wife. Even the television in her cell has been switched off. All basic rights – both human and those legally granted to prisoners – have been suspended for both of us,” Khan said.
The former PM, who was voted out of power through a no-confidence motion in April 2022, claimed a colonel and the jail superintendent were carrying out actions on the “orders of Asim Munir.”
“Therefore, I give clear instructions to my party: if anything happens to me in jail, Asim Munir must be held accountable.”
Earlier, he said he was caged like a “terrorist” in a “death cell.”
His post came days ahead of planned nationwide protests by his political outfit, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), to press the Shehbaz Sharif-led government to free Khan.
The protests are likely to be led by Khan’s two UK-based sons, Suleman Isa Khan and Kasim Khan, who have so far distanced themselves from dabbling in politics.
Recently, Khan’s former first wife Jemima Goldsmith said the government has not allowed any communication between him and his sons.
“My children have not been allowed to speak on the phone to their father. He has been in solitary confinement in prison for nearly 2 years,” she tweeted.
Khan also claimed that the treatment being meted out to him and Bushra Bibi by Asim Munir was because of a grudge after an incident that happened when he was the PM (2018-22). He said after Munir was removed as ISI chief, his request for a meeting with Bushra Bibi was snubbed.
“When Asim Munir was removed from his post of ISI chief, he attempted to send a message to Bushra Bibi through Zulfi Bukhari (PTI leader), requesting a meeting. She firmly refused,” Khan said.
However, the government said Khan was being given facilities in Adiala Jail that go beyond what is normally allowed for B-Class prisoners, ARY News reported.
Khan is being held in a secure seven-cell area and has access to an open courtyard where he can walk and exercise daily. He also has access to an exercise cycle, an LED television, newspapers, and a selection of books, it said.
A designated prisoner prepares all his meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, as per Khan’s preferences. Jail medical staff examine him three times daily. The most recent medical reports show that his health is good and all key health indicators are within the normal range.
Standard B-Class privileges also allow for two hours of daily physical activity, which Khan regularly uses.
According to ARY News, the jail authorities added that over the past three months, 66 individuals, including family members, lawyers, and PTI leaders, have visited him. During his time in custody, Khan has been linked to 413 social media posts (tweets) shared on his behalf and has been mentioned in the media 45 times.
Officials highlighted that these facilities for Imran Khan are provided under legal standards, and dismissed rumours of mistreatment or solitary confinement as baseless and politically motivated.
Imran Khan’s Adiala Jail B-Class privileges surpass those of any other B-Class inmate, and his security, health, and legal rights are being fully upheld under prison regulations.
Imran’s sister Aleema Khan also claimed that the former PM has been facing “harsh conditions” at Adiala Jail. Sharing “two key messages” from the PTI founder, she said he told her that he and Bushra Bibi are enduring strict measures in jail.