Pakistan jailed ex-PM Imran pens second letter to army chief

Tariq Butt, Correspondent

Incarcerated former prime minister and Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has penned a second open letter to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir, alleging targeting of Pakistan’s "largest political party” [PTI].

When Imran Khan had made it known through his X account that he had written the first letter, the security establishment had announced that the army chief was neither interested in even having a look at such a letter nor had he received it. Thus, they have totally dismissed the "letter” as inconsequential.

"I wrote an open letter to the Army Chief with sincere intentions for the betterment of the country and the nation, aiming to bridge the growing divide between the military and the public. However, the response was extremely irresponsible and non-serious," reads the latest letter posted on Imran Khan's X account.

It said that he was the former prime minister and the leader of the "country’s most popular and largest political party," and had dedicated his entire life to bringing global recognition to the Pakistani nation.

"My 55 years of public life since the 1970s and my 30 years of earnings are fully transparent. My life and death are solely tied to Pakistan," the letter read.

Imran Khan expressed his concerns regarding the army’s image and the potential consequences of the widening gap between the public and the army, citing them as the reason for writing this letter.

Referring to his first letter to the army chief, the PTI founder said that 90% of the public would have supported the six points he had highlighted in his initial missive if they had been consulted.

He alleged in his letter that the government was installed by manipulating election results through pre-poll rigging. "The authorities passed the 26th Constitutional Amendment through parliament to control the judiciary and Peca [Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act] to silence dissent," he claimed.

Imran Khan noted that political instability and the "might is right" policy plunged the country’s economy into chaos. He regretted that the country's "largest political party" was being targeted and all state institutions were being used for political engineering and revenge.

Referring to his imprisonment, he claimed that he had been placed in solitary confinement and deprived of sunlight for 20 days. "My exercise equipment, television, and even newspapers have been taken away. They restrict my access to books whenever they wish. Besides those 20 days, I was also locked up for another 40 hours. In the last six months, I have been allowed to speak to my sons only three times," he alleged.

Imran Khan also said that the party members travel long distances to meet him, yet they, too, were denied access despite judicial directives. "Only a handful of individuals have been allowed to see me in the past six months. Even my wife is not permitted to meet me, despite clear orders from the Islamabad High Court," he added.

He claimed that over 2,000 of our workers, supporters, and party leaders were still awaiting bail hearings, with judges deliberately delaying their cases. "A draconian law like PECA has been imposed to curb free speech on social media and the internet. As a result, Pakistan’s GSP+ status is now at risk," he added.