Pakistan army has no intention to strike deal with Imran Khan: Guardian

ISLAMABAD: British newspaper the Guardian while quoting sources in the military has said that the army has no intention in cutting a deal with former prime minister Imran Khan — who is currently incarcerating in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail — after he said “he would be willing to engage with the army leadership from his jail cell.”

The Guardian said that Imran Khan is currently banned from meeting journalists but the newspaper said that it submitted questions to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder through his legal team.

In his reply, Khan said that he has had “no personal engagement with the military” since he was arrested in August last year.

However, the former prime minister said that “he would not rule out doing a deal with the military establishment”, which he earlier accused of toppling his government and sending him behind bars.

“With regards to doing a deal with the military, any engagement would be based on principles and in the interest of the people, not personal gain or compromises that undermine Pakistan’s democratic values,” Khan told the Guardian.

He said that he would “rather live the rest of my life in prison than compromise on my principles.”

It is widely perceived that Khan was brought to power in 2018 by the military before his government was sent home through a no-confidence vote in 2022 and Khan accused the military of toppling his government and orchestrating his arrest.

Khan now faces a barrage of cases he claims were trumped up by the military and political opponents in the current coalition government.

In July, Khan publicly offered to hold “conditional” talks with the military, if they agreed to hold “clean and transparent” elections, the Guardian said.

Khan and the PTI have alleged that the elections held in February were marred by widespread allegations of rigging, and argue that PTI in fact won the election through the popular vote.

Senior military leadership told the Guardian that “for the past few months Khan has been applying pressure for discussions with the military and had offered “unconditional” talks as he sought a deal to ensure his release.”

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However, senior military figures are said to be resolute in refusing to enter into any negotiations with Khan. “Khan has to face the court cases against him, and can’t expect any deals from the military. Khan wants everyone to follow the rule of law, but he does not want this rule of law for himself,” said one military source, according to the Guardian.

Earlier, Imran Khan issued a “final call” for a PTI protest in Islamabad on 24 November. The party has been facing an ongoing crackdown since Khan was arrested, with most of the party’s leadership either in jail or exile.

The government has still yet to confirm if they intend to try Khan in a military rather than civilian court, for some of his alleged crimes which include everything from bribery to terrorism. He denies all charges.

“How can any civilian ever be tried in a military court, let alone a former prime minister?” said Khan. “It’s ludicrous. The only reason to try a civilian in military court is simply because no other court of justice would convict me. The very idea of it is alarming.”

Khan said that the ban on journalists being able to visit him or freely cover his trials “speaks volumes of the transparency – or lack thereof – surrounding my predicament”.

Nonetheless, Khan said he remained confident that he would get justice eventually and he still believed he would “have the opportunity to serve as prime minister again if that is the will of the people”, the Guardian said.