Govt considering shifting Imran Khan from Adiala Jail, says PM’s aide

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s Coordinator for Information and KP Affairs Ikhtiyar Wali Khan has said the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf is pursuing an agenda to destabilise the country and is attempting to create chaos in the name of protest.

He said that the government has begun seriously considering moving Prisoner No 804 — Imran Khan — out of Adiala jail.

Addressing a news conference in Islamabad, Ikhtiyar Wali said that all doors for talks with the PTI founder had been shut, and a clear line had been drawn between “love for Pakistan” and “love for Imran.”

He said that the PTI attacked the very army that raised Pakistan’s image across the world. Referring to a recent tweet by Imran Khan, he said neither the PTI could defend it nor retract it.

He claimed the party failed to gather people for its Peshawar rally despite calling supporters from across the country, and accused PTI of using religion for politics.

He said PTI was using its politics “to promote terrorism,” alleging there was no difference between the TTP and PTI, as the party was repeatedly targeting the military and judiciary. He said PTI desired a judiciary similar to the one that formed the Panama bench.

Ikhtiyar Wali questioned what development projects PTI had completed during its time in power. He accused the party of poisoning the youth with its “politics of hate,” saying PTI could not build even a single hospital or university in KP in 13 years.

He said Imran Khan’s own leadership was not retweeting his posts, adding that PTI had harmed the country and was responsible for incidents such as May 9 and November 26. Referring to the past, he said PTI was introduced in 2013 and “imposed on the country” in 2018.

He said no one in KP was willing to take the party’s election symbol, the bat. On the issue of governor’s rule, he said democratic forces do not favour such steps and added that if the government intended to impose it, they could have done so after the November 26 incident.

He alleged that PTI engaged in “politics of dead bodies,” seeking bloodshed and consistently opting for chaos and violence, while the government never chose the path of force.

Hinting at foreign involvement, he said that PTI’s social media accounts were being operated from India and Israel, and that Indian media was amplifying what he called false narratives presented by Imran Khan’s sisters.

He reiterated that all channels for negotiations with the PTI founder were now closed, and the line between loyalty to Pakistan and loyalty to Imran had been clearly drawn. He stressed that the government was not calling anyone a traitor nor pushing for a ban on any party, saying, “My choice is Pakistan — Pakistan will always live.”

Referring to ongoing protests, Ikhtiyar Wali criticised the PTI for disrupting the lives of residents along the Rawalpindi–Adiala Road.

“Protests last minutes or hours — what kind of protest is this that makes life miserable for people every week? Children cannot reach school, and families cannot return home,” he said.

He added that “It seems PTI is insisting that Prisoner No. 804 be shifted to a jail in another province. The government is seriously examining this option. Whatever steps are needed to protect people’s lives from disruption, we will take them.”