Tag: Imran Khan

Journalist Haider Sherazi, who had been covering Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) since many years, has alleged that party lawyers routinely leak details of conversations from inside Adiala Jail, where former premier Imran Khan is incarcerated, to YouTubers in exchange for money.

Appearing on a private media outlet, Sherazi claimed that PTI leaders were concerned about how the conversation between Imran Khan and party leaders was being leaked to YouTubers. 

“Party leaders are claiming and accusing lawyers of going inside Adiala jail and getting paid by YouTubers after giving inside information to them,” the reporter said. However, he did not reveal the lawyers’  names.

On being asked about how much lawyers are getting paid for providing conversation details, Sherazi said that lawyers received money ranging between five to seven lacs monthly.

He went on to further reveal that lawyers close to YouTubers have so much influence that they don’t even let Chief Minister (KP) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Ali Amin Gandapur, former Speaker of National Assembly Asad Qaiser’s companion, meet with party founder in Adiala Jail. “Junaid Akbar [KP party President] was even barred from meeting Imran Khan,” he added.

He substantiated his claims by giving the example of Gandapur once informing Imran Khan of the KP team’s visit to Khan to provide input regarding the province’s financial situation. He said, “When Muzammil Aslam [KP financial advisor to CM], Shahid Khattak [MNA], and Musaddiq Abbasi [KP CM’s aide] reached to meet Imran Khan, they were denied meeting with Khan.”

Additionally, Sherazi claimed that lawyers had complained about Gandapur, Asad Qaiser, Junaid Akbar, and Sher Afzal Marwat, who was recently terminated from PTI, to Imran Khan and his sister Aleema Khan.

Revealing the complaint, the journalist, while citing Pashtoonkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai, said that Imran Khan was told that Qaiser was not in contact with the opposition alliance.

Meanwhile, Imran Khan’s counsel, Faisal Chaudhry, has told a leading English Newspaper that parliamentary party leaders have not been allowed to meet Imran Khan for almost five months, adding that the party will approach the Islamabad High Court today (Monday) against curbs on its parliamentary leaders to meet Imran Khan in Adiala jail.

“According to the standard operating procedures (SOP), Mr Khan meets his family members and lawyers on Tuesday and the party leaders on Thursday. He also shares the names of six leaders for the meeting, but for the last five months, the jail administration has not allowed them to meet him,” said Chaudhry.

A possibility has arisen that Incarcerated former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan might be shifted from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi to Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore, a leading Urdu Newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The newspaper reported that the Punjab government has made a basic change in prison regulations, saying that accused/convicted individuals will serve their sentences in their respective residential cities/districts.

As per the newspaper, prior to shifting Imran Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), to Kot Lakhpat Jail Lahore, several factors will be reviewed.

Imran Khan has access to multiple facilities at Adiala Jail. He has not been placed in a death cell or solitary confinement, and he continues to receive food and other amenities without interruption, claimed the newspaper.

The newspaper further reported that jail administration anywhere in the world couldn’t even imagine cutting off a prisoner’s light in any barrack, as doing so would pose a security threat.

The development comes four days after Imran Khan wrote a second open letter to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir, complaining about the shortage of facilities in his cell.

“I was placed in solitary confinement under extreme conditions for 20 days… in a cell where even sunlight could not reach. For five days, my cell’s electricity was cut off, leaving me in complete darkness,” Imran Khan wrote in his letter, which is available on his X (formerly Twitter) account.

 
“My exercise equipment and television were confiscated, and I was denied access to newspapers… apart from those 20 days, I was also kept in solitary for 40 hours,” he said and added that he had only been allowed to talk to his sons three times over the past six months despite a court order allowing him to contact his children regularly.

On May 9, 2023, Imran Khan was arrested from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) premises in the Al Qadir Trust case, better known as the £190 million case. However, after a brief detention, he was released.

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

Following the IHC directives, the former premier was shifted to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on September 27, 2023. Currently, he is held in jail under high security and with B-Class facilities due to his status as a former premier.

Days after confusion on the receipt of jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s letter to the army chief, the former prime minister (PM) has claimed to have written a second letter, this time complaining about the reaction to the first letter among other things.

“I wrote an open letter to you with sincere intentions for the betterment of the nation… However, the response I received was highly unserious and irresponsible [sic],” read a statement on Khan’s official X account as confusion prevailed on if the letter was ever received by the military.

The confusion was added to with an Adiala Jail official claiming that Khan never wrote any letter in the first place.

However, in the second letter, the jailed former premier went on to pen down a series of complaints to chief of army staff (COAS) General Asim Munir. “I was placed in solitary confinement under extreme conditions for 20 days… in a cell where even sunlight could not reach. For five days, my cell’s electricity was cut off, leaving me in complete darkness,” he claimed.

“My exercise equipment and television were confiscated and I was denied access to newspapers… apart from those 20 days, I was also kept in solitary for 40 hours,” he said and added that he had only been allowed to talk to his sons three times over the past six months despite a court order allowing him to contact his children regularly.

Khan also said that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had allowed him to meet his wife Bushra Bibi, but court orders were being ignored. “My wife is also being kept in solitary confinement,” he claimed.

Stressing that he was “illegally convicted” in four cases, Khan said that the judge who decided his fate was “under pressure”.

“My wife [Bushra Bibi] and Dr Yasmin Rashid, a 75-year-old cancer patient, besides hundreds of other women have been unjustly detained,” he said further.

Dubbing the recently passed Prevention Electronic Crime Act (PECA) amendments 2025 “a draconian law”, Khan claimed Pakistan’s GSP-plus status was at risk.

He also expressed concerns over internet outages. “Internet disruptions have already caused losses worth billions of dollars to our IT industry, destroying the careers of countless young people,” he lamented.

Khan also said that he spent his entire life bringing honour to Pakistan’s name on the global level. “My 55 years of public life since the 1970s and my 30 years of earnings are all open for everyone to see. My life and death are solely for Pakistan.”

While an official confirmation on receipt of the second letter is still awaited, the first letter was announced by Khan’s lawyer Faisal Chaudhry while speaking to media outside Adiala Jail on Monday.

United States (US) House of Representatives member Joe Wilson has written a letter to Pakistan’s political and military leaders, urging them to the release of jailed former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan.

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

Following the Islamabad High Court (IHC) order, Imran Khan was shifted to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on September 27, 2023. Currently, he is held in jail under high security and with B-class facilities due to his status as a former premier.

Wilson took to X (formerly Twitter) on Friday (today) to announce that he has written a letter to Pakistan. 

The US Congressman shared the letter with the caption: “Grateful to send this letter today to the political and military leaders of Pakistan to Free Imran Khan. I will also be engaging the Trump administration on this issue. US-Pakistan relations are strongest when Pakistan is democratic. Free Imran Khan.”

The letter read, “… I have many disagreements with Mr. Khan, particularly his stance in support of the Chinese Communist Party and War Criminal Putin. However, democracy cannot work if political opponents are unjustly detained on politicised charges rather than defeated in the ballot box.”

“I urge Pakistan to uphold democratic institutions, human rights, and the rule of law, and respect the fundamental guarantees of due process, freedom of press, freedom of assembly and freedom of speech of the people of Pakistan.”

Wilson stressed in a letter that the release of Imran Khan would be a major step towards strengthening U.S.-Pak relations.

The member of the Republican Party emphasised that a strong U.S.-Pak relationship is in the national interest of both countries. He underscored that over 75 years, U.S.-Pak bilateral relations have been strongest since Pakistan embraced its democratic ideals of the rule of law.

Wilson, following the meeting with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi at the inauguration of US President Donald Trump, took to X on January 23 to  post: “Free Imran Khan.” 

The tweet quickly gained momentum, with Imran Khan’s supporters praising the congressman’s stance, while government officials and critics had questioned the appropriateness of such remarks.

He was followed by another Republican Congressman, Jack Bergman, who also called for the release of Khan. “The facts are straightforward; it’s no time to mince words. Free Imran Khan,” Bergman wrote on X on his official account on January 23.

Incarcerated former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has been diagnosed with tinnitus, a hearing problem in which someone feels sounds such as ringing, buzzing, or roaring in the ears in the absence of any external sound, a leading Urdu newspaper reported on Thursday

Imran Khan is continuously taking medication prescribed by his personal physician. However, he has not fully recovered yet, said the newspaper.

The newspaper further reported that during Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s blood pressure was recorded as 110–120/70–80, and his heartbeat ranged between 43 and 45, which was considered ideal. However, in recent weeks, he has been experiencing unease, with his blood pressure soaring to 130/80 and his heartbeat exceeding 50.

As per the newspaper, Imran Khan has a healthy appetite. Recently, he consumed pomegranate juice, two boiled eggs, porridge, yogurt, and coffee for his breakfast, while for lunch, he consumed mutton cooked in desi ghee.

Additionally, Imran Khan exercises regularly in prison to stay healthy and has access to 16 TV channels along with two newspapers. Imran Khan’s medical check-up was conducted three times a day, as reported in the newspaper.

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

Following the Islamabad High Court (IHC) order, Imran Khan was shifted to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on September 27, 2023. Currently, he is held in jail under high security and with B-class facilities due to his status as a former premier. 

On January 17, the ex-PM, along with his wife Bushra Bibi, was convicted in the £190 million case commonly known as the Al Qadir Trust case.

Accountability Court Judge Nasir Javed Rana sentenced Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi to 14 years and seven years imprisonment, respectively.

The court also imposed fines on Khan and Bushra, amounting to Rs1 million and Rs500,000, respectively. Failure to pay the penalties would result in an additional six months in jail for Imran and three months for Bushra, the court said.

As per the verdict, Imran Khan was convicted for “corrupt practices” and “misuse of authority”, while the ex-first lady was convicted for “involvement in illegal activities”. Rana directed the authorities to give the Al-Qadir Trust University in the federal government’s custody.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s lawyer Faisal Chaudhry has trolled journalist and analyst Hassan Ayub for claiming that the incarcerated former prime minister (PM) watches his show in jail.

Chaudhry, while appearing on a private media outlet’s talk show, was reacting to guest analyst Ayub’s claim that Khan was enjoying a number of facilities in his Adiala Jail cell, one of which was access to 14 TV channels.

“No one has had the kind of facilities Imran Khan is enjoying. He is getting the best food… dry fruit… he’s watching 14 channels. He also watches my channel… my programme,” Ayub was saying in response to a question by the host when Chaudhry cut him off to rubbish his claim.

Slamming the journalist, Khan’s lawyer said it was a baseless claim as the jailed former premier did not watch his show. “He watches your show? No, he doesn’t. No one watches your show except for you,” Chaudhry said mockingly, drawing a rather annoyed reaction from Ayub.

“Okay… I don’t even care if he doesn’t watch it,” the journalist replied, adding that he was only quoting what sources had told him.

When asked by the host if Khan had given him any feedback about the show, Chaudhry said the jailed party founder didn’t even know who Ayub was. “He doesn’t even know his name.”

The two then continued what seemed like an indirect argument, directing their statements towards the host. While Chaudhry kept on attempting to ridicule the journalist, Ayub said he didn’t care if Khan knew him or not.

It merits a mention that this is not the first time that Khan’s alleged interest or lack thereof in Ayub’s reporting has made headlines.

Last month, a court reporter claimed to have overheard former first lady Bushra Bibi telling Khan about two journalists who talked against him on the air, one of whom was Ayub.

The reporter had claimed seeing Bushra pointing at Ayub and Rizwan Razi, both of whom were present at a makeshift courtroom at Adiala Jail for the verdict in the Al-Qadir Trust case against Khan.

The claims followed Judge Nasir Javed Rana’s sentencing of Khan and Bushra to 14 years and seven years in prison, respectively, besides imposing fines worth Rs1 million on the incarcerated PTI founder and Rs500,000 on the former first lady.

Bushra was taken into custody from the courtroom at Adiala where Khan is already locked up in multiple cases against him.