Tag: Imran Khan

United States (US) President Donald Trump’s Envoy for Special Missions, Richard Grenell, took to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday to share a photo where he’s meeting jailed former premier Imran Khan’s sons Suleman Khan and Kasim Khan, advising them to “stay strong”.

He welcomed his “friends” in California, writing, “I loved hanging out with you [Suleman Khan and Kasim Khan] today.”

“There are millions of people around the world who are sick of political prosecutions. You are not alone. #freeimrankhan,” he added.

When a social media user with the handle @AsadMalik123 thanked him for meeting Imran Khan’s sons upon the request of the Pakistani American Public Affairs Committee (PAC) and appreciated his “sincere leadership in working towards releasing #imrankhanPTI”, Grenell responded, “Thank you! We are in this fight together.”

Following the crackdown of security forces on Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) demonstrators on November 26, 2024, in Islamabad, Grenell initially posted on his account on X in favour of Imran Khan, writing, “Free Imran Khan!”. However, he did not receive much attention at that time.

He was discussed in Pakistani politics on December 15, when Trump appointed Grenell as his aide in his administration. His social media posts then were amplified by PTI supporters.

In December last year, during his appearance at the US media outlet Newsmax, Grenell claimed that Donald Trump shared a host of allegations with Imran Khan. “There are a lot of the same allegations just like President Trump, where the ruling party put him in prison and created some sort of corruption allegations and false allegations (sic),” he said.

Come August 5, Imran Khan will have completed two years in jail, as in 2023, on the same day, he was apprehended from his residence at Zaman Park Lahore, shortly after his conviction in the Toshakhana case. Currently, he is being held in Adiala Jail Rawalpindi under B-class facilities due to his status as a former premier.

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Veteran journalist and columnist Suhail Warraich has claimed that former prime minister Imran Khan, is likely to be shifted from Adiala Jail Rawalpindi to a newly built federal jail in Islamabad.

In his column titled “Amreeki yaatra sab kuch badal deti hai (A visit to the US changes everything)” in Jang Newspaper published on Tuesday, Warraich cited past visits of Pakistani officials to the US, describing how it brought changes in Pakistan’s foreign and interior policies.

Calling the recent lunch Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir had with US President Donald Trump in the White House “unusual”, he wrote, “The meeting of Asim Munir with US President Trump surprised everyone.”

“I am not an astrologer, but if every past high-level Pakistan-U.S. meeting has had its effects, then it is clearly visible that this time too, everything will change. The first result of this visit has already appeared in the form of the revival of USAID. The first political effect in Pakistan is likely to be that prisoner number 804 will be shifted from Adiala provincial jail to a new federal jail in Islamabad.

“The new jail is in the preparation phase and is awaiting its new guest, as it falls under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Interior.”

On August 5, 2023, Imran Khan was arrested from his residence at Zaman Park Lahore, shortly after his conviction in the Toshakhana case, and was held in Attock jail.

 
Following the Islamabad High Court (IHC) order, Imran Khan was shifted to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on September 27, 2023. 

As legal battles continued on multiple fronts, an Islamabad accountability court in January this year convicted Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in the £190 million case, sentencing them to 14 and seven years imprisonment, respectively. 

As per the 148-page verdict, the former premier was convicted of “corrupt practices” and “misuse of authority”, while the ex-first lady was convicted of “involvement in illegal activities”. 

Currently, Imran Khan is held in jail under high security and with B-class facilities due to his status as a former premier.

Amid claims of “harsher-than-before conditions” for incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan, administration of Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail has revealed details of amenities being provided to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder under the prescribed legal framework for B-Class prisoners among other facilities.

According to reports, jailed Khan is being provided with tailored meals, healthcare, reading materials (books and newspapers) besides being allowed regular exercise and walks.

While a prisoner has been officially designated as Khan’s cook and is responsible for preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner as per the jailed former premier’s personal preference, the PTI founder has been kept in a two-cell complex that includes a private courtyard for walking and cycling.

He also has access to LED lights, newspapers and books of his own choosing – none of which are among amenities extended to other B-Class inmates, said the media report.

Jail authorities were quoted as saying that Khan enjoys two hours of daily exercise in an open-air courtyard and the staff was fully committed to ensuring his security, health and legal rights as per the rules governing B-Class inmates. 

Report also quoted jail officials as dismissing rumours regarding Khan’s mistreatment as “unwarranted sensationalism”. They said that Khan was, in fact, receiving better facilities than any other prisoner at Adiala Jail.

It may be noted that the former prime minister was on August 5, 2023, arrested from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore, shortly after his conviction in the Toshakhana case.

 
Following an Islamabad High Court (IHC) order, Khan was shifted from Attock Jail to Adiala on September 27, 2023.

As legal battles continued on multiple fronts, an Islamabad accountability court in January this year convicted Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in the £190 million case, sentencing them to 14 and seven years imprisonment, respectively. The trial was also held at a makeshift court in Adiala.

As per the 148-page verdict, the former premier was convicted of “corrupt practices” and “misuse of authority”, while the ex-first lady was convicted of “involvement in illegal activities”. Former first lady Bushra Bibi also remains locked up in Adiala.

Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader and Punjab Housing Minister Bilal Yasin had claimed weeks ago that Suleman Khan and Qasim Khan, sons of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, are learning Urdu. 

“I have information that Qasim and Suleman have hired an Urdu teacher, and they are learning Urdu,” Yasin had said during a press conference held at the Director General Public Relations (DGPR) in Lahore two weeks ago.

Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari was also present at the press conference.

Yasin stated that “coming time” will tell why the boys, who have spent most of their lives in the UK, are learning Urdu, adding that Imran Khan’s sons are waiting for the time to “fool the nation”.

The housing minister went on to claim that Qasim and Suleman are being taught how to deliver speeches to “provoke the nation”.

Sanaullah warns Imran Khan’s sons may be arrested if they come to protest in Pakistan

In May, in a rare public appearance, Imran Khan’s sons talked about their father’s incarceration for the first time.

Qasim uploaded a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, calling for his father’s release, writing that Imran Khan had been imprisoned for 700 days and cut off from his family and even his personal physician.

Imran Khan, imprisoned since August 2023, is serving a sentence at the Adiala Jail in the £190 million corruption case and also faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to the May 9, 2023, protests. 

Weeks after Bilal Yasin’s presser, Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan told journalists that her brother intends to lead a protest movement from jail against the 26th Constitutional Amendment from August 5, marking two years of his incarceration.

“Imran Khan’s sons, Qasim and Sulaiman, will first go to the United States to raise awareness about the injustices faced by their father, and then they will take part in the movement being launched in Pakistan. Imran Khan has been informed about this,” she said while speaking to reporters outside Adiala Jail Rawalpindi on Tuesday.

She added, “People must come out for themselves, for democracy, for the rule of law, and against the 26th Amendment. Anyone who cannot bear the weight of this movement should step aside now.”

Pakistani-American tycoon Tanweer Ahmed claims he held several meetings with incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan at Adiala Jail last November in an effort to broker a breakthrough with the government. However, Khan ultimately chose to pursue his demands through a march on Islamabad, Geo News reported on Sunday.

Following Imran Khan’s ‘final call’ on November 24, Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, along with Bushra Bibi, led the march towards Islamabad, demanding the release of political prisoners, the repeal of the 26th Constitutional Amendment, and other measures.

The march ended when security forces launched a crackdown against demonstrators on the night of 26 November in Islamabad, using tear gas canisters to disperse the crowds.

“We held extensive talks over several sessions in November last year. Khan was in good health. I asked him whether he was aware of the kind of atmosphere cyber warriors had created outside in his name, that he was being tortured. I told him about the polarisation and division that existed outside. I said that he had played a role in creating this division, and that he should now play a role in ending it,” Ahmed told Geo News in London.

According to the tycoon, Khan was visibly concerned about the situation outside prison, and it seemed he was not receiving accurate information.

“Imran Khan was worried. It was clear he was not fully aware of what was happening beyond the prison walls and had no truthful picture of events. We discussed many matters over several days. These were productive meetings. We agreed on the need to end polarisation and division in society. We discussed how hatred and negativity were harming Pakistan, and how, as patriotic Pakistanis, we must unite the youth and work for the country’s progress,” Ahmed said.

He did not disclose who facilitated the meetings with Khan, but maintained that the due legal process was followed.

According to Geo News, Ahmed was part of the American-Pakistani delegation that met Imran Khan in Adiala Jail earlier this year for sensitive discussions. He was also part of a delegation that travelled from the US to Pakistan in March to help resolve the political deadlock between Khan and the country’s powerful establishment.

Ahmed explained that the aim of the meetings was to break the deadlock and move towards reconciliation. “I am apolitical. I am not affiliated with any political party or person […] When I spoke to Khan, it was all about Pakistan, putting Pakistan first.”

He claimed the discussions had been progressing well until Khan decided to get his demands met through street protests instead.

“I told Imran Khan that this would not help him or his mission. I reminded him that, under his own government, such actions would have been labelled anarchy.”

Geo News quoted trusted sources as saying that Khan decided to end talks with the American-Pakistani delegation after becoming convinced that November’s march would succeed. He hoped that street agitation and public reaction would determine his fate, sending a stern message to government officials.

Tanweer Ahmed has been a friend and donor of Imran Khan for nearly two decades, and he expressed regret that the former prime minister had been poorly advised by his inner circle. “They made him take decisions that have only jeopardised his chances,” he said.

Days after multiple Pakistani YouTube channels were banned in India, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan, and Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif’s channels have also been banned on the platform amid rising tension between the two countries after the April 22 attack in Pahalgam, in Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir.

According to the emails sent by YouTube to the two channels, the ban follows an “order from the government related to national security or public order. And the future uploads on these channels will also be blocked.”

Tensions between the two countries remain high, as India, without offering any concrete evidence, continues to imply cross-border linkages of the attackers, while Pakistan has firmly denied any involvement. PM Shehbaz Sharif has called for a neutral investigation into the incident.

The bans by the Narendra Modi-led government in India are being perceived as attempts to restrict the alternative narrative surrounding the Pahalgam attack.

Earlier, on the recommendation of its Ministry of Home Affairs, India reportedly banned 16 prominent YouTube channels, including Dawn News, Geo News, Samaa News, ARY News, Bol News, and Suno News.

Journalists Irshad Bhatti, Asma Shirazi, Umar Cheema, and Muneeb Farooq’s channels were also blocked in India. The podcast The Pakistan Experience was among the channels that were also banned

.

The Indian Ministry of Home Affairs alleged that the above-mentioned YouTube channels were pushing “false narratives” against India, its army, and security agencies.

Indian media reported that the Instagram accounts of multiple influencers and Pakistani actresses, including Hania Aamir, Iqra Aziz, and Mahira Khan, are no longer accessible to users in India.

When users in India access the accounts, a message appears stating: “The account is not available in India. This is because we complied with a legal request to restrict this content’s message.”