Imprisoned former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has urged his party members, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), to take action against Pakistan's Army Chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, if any harm comes his way while he is in captivity.
The 72-year-old former cricketer has been detained since August 2023, facing multiple legal cases. As the date approaches for PTI’s nationwide mobilization set to begin on August 5, the party is intensifying its campaign to pressure the Shehbaz Sharif-led government and the military leadership for Khan’s release.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Khan explained a deteriorating situation in prison: "Over the past few days, the inhuman treatment I receive in prison has increased. Ditto for my wife, Bushra Bibi. Even the TV at her cell has been unplugged. All human and legal rights that are afforded to prisoners have been revoked for both of us."
Khan blamed the jail administration of acting on direct orders. "There has to be accountability for this," he declared, saying that he was "perfectly aware that a colonel and the jail superintendent are performing actions on the orders of Asim Munir."
In a strong command to his party, he declared: "Thus, I issue clear instructions to my party — if I am harmed in prison, Asim Munir must be accountable."
Khan reaffirmed his unflinching position against tyranny, saying, "I am ready to spend the rest of my life in jail, but there is no question of surrendering before tyranny and oppression. My message to the Pakistani people is the same — never succumb to this oppressive system at any cost." He also made it clear that the time for negotiations is over, demanding instead a national protest on a collective basis.
Making a comparison between his conditions and those of criminal convicts, Khan bemoaned: "Even convicted terrorists and murderers are treated better than him," as well as pointing to a military man purportedly being given special treatment in prison.
"While I am subjected to constant abuse. But whatever they do, I have never knelt before oppression — and never will," Khan averred.
He also recycled an earlier assertion that the targeting of his wife was based on historical events. Citing an incident during his prime ministership, Khan stated: "When Asim Munir was ousted from his ISI chief position, he tried to pass a message to Bushra Bibi through Zulfi Bukhari (PTI leader), seeking a meeting. She outright denied it."
"Ever since, Asim Munir has borne me a personal vendetta and now is subjecting me to this cruelty to psychologically destroy me. Right from the word go, the intention was to intimidate me by targeting Bushra Bibi," he claimed.
The PTI founder also targeted leading political figures in Punjab, accusing them of dictatorial behavior. He accused Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi of being behind the creation of a climate of "tyranny and fascism" in Punjab during the past two years.
Demanding unity among PTI ranks, Khan asked all members to shelve internal conflicts and actively take part in the upcoming protest campaign. "I also instruct all party members and officials to retweet my personal tweets by themselves and assist me in amplifying my voice to as many individuals as possible," he further added.
Meanwhile, Khan's sister Aleema Khan informed the media that he has made it absolutely clear to the PTI leadership that General Asim Munir must be held accountable if anything negative befalls him during imprisonment.
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