By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Imran Khan, the incarcerated founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and former prime minister, has issued a stern warning to his party members to set aside their differences and focus on a planned nationwide protest set to peak on August 5.
The protest marks the second year of Khan’s imprisonment in multiple cases, including a corruption conviction involving £190 million and pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act tied to the May 9, 2023, protests. But internal discord within the PTI, sparked by conflicting statements from party leaders, has threatened to undermine the momentum of the demonstration.
In a message posted on his X account, which Khan does not operate himself but is said to reflect his directives, the former prime minister stressed the urgency of unity within the PTI. “Let me make this absolutely clear: every member of the party must immediately set aside all internal differences and focus solely on the movement planned for August 5th,” the message read. “I do not see any meaningful momentum building behind this initiative at present.”
“I am fighting for the future of our generations, and every sacrifice I make is for that cause. To create rifts within the party at this time would be a direct betrayal of my mission and vision.”
Khan’s call comes amid signs of disarray within his party. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur recently introduced a new 90-day timeline for what he called “a final push,” a move that appeared to disrupt the nationwide protest plans and sowed confusion among PTI ranks. PTI Punjab chief organizer Aliya Hamza Malik later expressed reservations about Gandapur’s announcement, highlighting a rift in the leadership.
The resulting discord prompted Khan to crack down on internal debate. “It will be nothing short of disgraceful and condemnable if PTI leaders waste time on internal conflicts at this critical juncture,” the message warned. “Anyone found engaging in factionalism within the party will be expelled.”
From his cell in Adiala Jail, where he has been held since August 2023, Khan framed his struggle as a broader battle for Pakistan’s future. “I am waging a battle against a 78-year-old system, and my greatest success is that despite unprecedented oppression, the public stands firmly with me,” the message stated.
He pointed to the PTI’s performance in the general elections, where he claimed the people had expressed their trust by voting for the party despite its lack of an electoral symbol. “After such a clear mandate, it is the moral and political responsibility of every party member to become the voice of the people,” he added.
Khan also lashed out at the government, accusing it of undermining judicial independence through the 26th Constitutional Amendment. “The way biased judges are now delivering blatantly unjust verdicts under these courts is visible to the entire nation,” the message said. “We must launch a robust campaign to liberate the judiciary, for no nation can survive, let alone progress, without judicial independence.”
The former prime minister did not shy away from detailing the personal toll of his incarceration. He claimed that “inhumane conditions” were being imposed on his spouse, Bushra Bibi, the former first lady, while his own circumstances were equally dire.
“Never in the history of Pakistan has any political leader been subjected to the treatment that I am currently enduring. Nawaz Sharif committed corruption worth billions and was nevertheless granted every possible comfort in prison. In contrast, never before has the innocent and apolitical spouse of a political figure been imprisoned under such inhumane conditions as those imposed upon Bushra Bibi,” the message read.
“I am enduring the harshest prison term in the country’s history solely for the supremacy of the Constitution and in service of my nation. The level of oppression and authoritarianism is such that even the water I have for ablution is filthy and contaminated with dirt, unfit for any human being. Books sent to me by my family have been withheld for months. Access to television and newspapers has also been suspended. I have spent countless hours re-reading the same old books, but now even those are no longer available.”
“All my basic human rights have been violated. Even the minimum facilities accorded to ordinary prisoners under the law and the jail manual are denied to me. Despite repeated requests, I have not been allowed to speak to my children. Political meetings have also been restricted; I am only permitted to meet certain ‘choice individuals’, while all other interactions are barred.”
Separately, PTI’s central deputy information secretary announced that the nationwide protest would be led under the banner of the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP). “All provincial organisations will follow their respective plans of action based on their circumstances,” the post stated. Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar, speaking at a press conference alongside other TTAP leaders, said the first step of the protest movement would be an all-party conference in Islamabad on July 31. Decisions made there, he added, would shape the future course of action.
Meanwhile, Khan’s sons have been working to draw global attention to their father’s plight. Currently in the United States ahead of a planned visit to Pakistan, they met with Republican Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina, who in March introduced a bipartisan bill in the US House of Representatives calling for sanctions on Pakistani officials over alleged human rights violations, including what he described as the “persecution” of Khan. They also met with Democratic Congressman Brad Sherman, who voiced alarm over Khan’s situation.
“I am concerned to hear that Khan remains isolated from his family, friends, attorneys and doctors,” Sherman said in a post on X. “His sons also shared that his physical health may be deteriorating. The people of Pakistan deservehdad to have their leaders be treated fairly under the law.”
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