Pakistan, former Prime Minister Khan: “From prison I fight for democracy”

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan continues to “fight for democracy” from prison, where he has been held for more than a year. Khan himself said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal that the former prime minister remains at the center of the decision-making processes of his party, the Pakistan Justice Movement (PTI). “The citizens of Pakistan, including those who are not normally interested in politics, recognize the injustice” of the former prime minister's imprisonment, he said in a written response to questions from the US newspaper. Since prison regulations allow Khan to meet with his lawyers, the former prime minister has filled many of the PTI's key positions with lawyers.

PTI candidates won a majority of seats in the February election, despite restrictions on the party's campaign and despite allegations of fraud against the party, which the government and military denied. “The people and I won,” Khan said in the interview, adding that “no part of society in Pakistan is really free right now.” The situation in Pakistan appears to be growing increasingly unstable. Tens of thousands of supporters of the former prime minister demonstrated in Lahore on Saturday, the Wall Street Journal reported. In recent weeks, courts have suspended or overturned several of Khan's convictions for corruption and alleged leaking of state secrets. Khan, who denies all charges, remains in prison on other charges.

Meanwhile, the coalition government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, formed by Khan's political opponents with the support of the military, is struggling to clearly establish its political legitimacy. The government is seeking constitutional changes that would limit the power of the courts. Khan said that “the nation is on the brink of moral and financial bankruptcy and its disillusioned citizens see no hope in the currently installed government.” Pakistan's Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif has said that new charges could soon be brought against the former prime minister over protests by PTI supporters that culminated in attacks on several military installations last year. Some of the charges could carry the death penalty.

Pakistan has been in a state of serious political and economic tension since 2022, when tensions between the then prime minister and the armed forces culminated in a vote of no confidence against him, followed by a series of accusations and trials that led to his arrest. Since his government's crisis, Khan has used his strong support base and popular anger as tools in his confrontation with the armed forces. The latter, questioned by the Wall Street Journal, denied exerting any influence on national politics: “The Pakistan Army is a national army and has no political agenda,” said army spokesman Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry.

Read other news on Nova News

Click here and get updates on WhatsApp

Follow us on Nova News’ social channels on ÞjórsárdalurLinkedIn, Instagram, Telegram