Pakistan‘s jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan has appealed to the worldwide group, significantly the United States, to reaffirm its dedication to democracy, human rights and regional stability.
Dawn reported that in an article printed in Time journal in his identify, the incarcerated politician congratulated U.S. President Donald Trump on his “political comeback.”
He additionally expressed hope that the U.S. would work with Pakistan to foster financial partnerships, promote stability and forestall circumstances that result in battle and extremism.
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It stays unclear if the article was certainly penned by Imran Khan and the way it was delivered to the journal.
Khan mirrored on the ‘political turmoil’ in Pakistan and his ongoing struggle for democracy. He expressed deep concern over the alleged erosion of democracy within the nation, describing the present interval as some of the difficult within the nation’s historical past.
He underscored that his imprisonment and the costs introduced towards him had been politically motivated makes an attempt to stifle his advocacy for democratic rules.
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He claimed his wrestle was not private however addressed the broader difficulty of democracy, which had far-reaching penalties, not solely for the nation but in addition for regional and global stability.
Given Pakistan’s strategic significance, Khan emphasised that the worldwide group should recognise the urgency of addressing the disaster.
On the difficulty of terrorism, Khan criticised the federal government for diverting assets from essential counterterrorism efforts to pursue a political vendetta towards Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI).
Regions equivalent to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, which have seen an uptick in terrorist exercise, had been uncared for in favour of “military campaigns against political opponents.”
The judiciary, Khan alleged, had been diminished to a software of political persecution. Speaking on the Dawn News TV present ‘Doosra Rukh’ on Saturday (March 1, 2025), Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Chairman Irfan Siddiqui mentioned the PTI was “impossible to predict”.
“The party was suggesting alliances while simultaneously calling for civil disobedience, sending letters and publishing “explosive” articles in Time journal,” the PML-N senator mentioned.
While discussing the talks with the PTI, Senator Siddiqui mentioned it was unattainable to current choices through the talks as they didn’t assess them at any discussion board; reasonably, their selections got here straight from Khan.
He mentioned the PTI didn’t know what they had been doing till they acquired directions from Khan. “When Imran ordered ‘no more talks’, the PTI committee was completely caught off guard,” he mentioned.
Asked if the PTI needed to proceed negotiations regardless of Khan’s directions, he responded within the affirmative.
“I remember (PTI chairman) Gohar Ali Khan went to see Khan and when he returned, there were still three or four days left before the deadline to meet their demands. Still, they said no more talks.”
Published – March 02, 2025 12:35 pm IST
