By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Imran Khan, who is in jail on corruption and treason charges, said he verbally dictated a guest essay for The Economist magazine that expressed doubts about the upcoming elections and accused the US of meddling in Pakistan’s politics.
Khan, the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, was ousted from power in 2022 after losing a confidence vote in parliament. He faces multiple cases in courts, including one for illegally selling state gifts while in office from 2018 to 2022.
The Economist published Khan’s essay, titled “Pakistan’s rigged democracy”, on its website on January 4. In it, Khan claimed he was the victim of a “regime change” orchestrated by the U.S. government, which pressured the Pakistani establishment – the army, security agencies, and civil bureaucracy – to remove him from power.
He also alleged that the May 9 riots, which erupted after his arrest in a land fraud case, were a “false-flag operation” planned by his opponents. The violent protesters attacked military installations, including the house of a top general in Lahore, which was set on fire.
The article also slammed the upcoming elections, scheduled for February 8, as “a farce” and said Khan’s party, PTI, had been unfairly targeted and silenced by the military establishment and its allies.
Khan said the public was sceptical about whether the vote would take place, as elections had not been held in two provinces, Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, for over a year despite a court order.
He also alleged that the country’s election commission had been tainted by its bizarre actions, such as defying the Supreme Court, rejecting his party’s nominations, and launching contempt cases against him and his party leaders.
The essay sparked some controversy and criticism in Pakistan, where the caretaker government said it would write to the editor of The Economist to complain about the article, while some observers questioned the authenticity of the essay, wondering how Khan could have written it from behind bars.
Caretaker Information Minister Murtaza Solangi said in a social media post that it was “puzzling and disconcerting” that such an esteemed media outlet published an article in the name of an individual who is in jail and has been convicted.
Dawn newspaper, quoting PTI sources, reported that Khan had given verbal guidelines to someone who wrote and submitted the essay on his behalf.
“They insisted that the words were Khan’s own and that the tone and content matched his views,” the newspaper said.
During a hearing on the Toshakhana and Al-Qadir Trust cases on Monday in Adiala Jail, Khan confirmed that he had dictated the essay.
“I own the column published in an international journal. I had given verbal guidelines regarding the column. The article was written and published as a result of these guidelines. I had verbally dictated the article,” he told reporters.
Khan also said he was using artificial intelligence to communicate with his supporters.
The former premier said a speech of his would appear on social media next week at a planned PTI online rally on TikTok.
Khan’s party had previously used artificial intelligence to campaign from jail in December when a voice clone of his delivered a speech during a virtual PTI rally.
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