PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said on Wednesday that former prime minister Imran Khan has offered to resolve the recent hostilities between Pakistan and Afghanistan and other issues if he is released on parole.
Imran, imprisoned since August 2023, is serving a sentence at Adiala Jail in a £190 million corruption case and also faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to the May 9 protests. The PTI has regularly raised concerns about his health and that of the former first lady.
Meanwhile, lingering tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan over cross-border terrorism broke out into outright fighting and skirmishes over the weekend that left several dead and injured on both sides. A temporary ceasefire was announced today after three days of fighting.
Addressing a press conference outside Adiala Jail after a meeting with Imran, Barrister Gohar said: “Today, Imran has sent this message: ‘I offer you people that release me on parole and I will solve the Afghanistan problem for you.’”
The same was mentioned a little earlier by Imran’s sister, Noreen Niazi, who said the PTI founder was pained by the repatriation of Afghan refugees in haste after Pakistan hosted them for decades.
As per Noreen, Imran said it was the job of politicians to achieve peace and had offered to play his part in the endeavour if he was released on parole.
“They should think because the conditions of Pakistan have become such that three million people have left the country, multi-national companies are leaving the country, and there is no foreign investment in Pakistan. He [Imran] says there is a need for peace and that only comes with political stability,” she said.
However, expressing doubt, Imran’s sister said her brother would never be taken up on his offer.
A message posted on Imran’s X account, which is not controlled by him, asserted that all relevant stakeholders should be taken on board when formulating a policy against terrorism, be it local tribes in the province, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, the federal government, or the Afghan government.
“The issue of terrorism cannot be solved without dialogue with the Afghan government,” the message had said. The PTI founder then directed the new KP government to talk to relevant stakeholders and formulate an effective and comprehensive strategy against terrorism to ensure long-term peace in the province.
