Imran Khan, Pakistan’s imprisoned former Prime Minister, has expressed his willingness to engage in “conditional dialogue” with the nation’s powerful military, appointing a representative to facilitate the talks.
In a message from jail, shared on his official X account on Wednesday, Khan stated, “We will engage in conditional negotiations if the military leadership designates a representative.” He outlined that one of the key conditions for these talks is the holding of “clean and transparent” elections, along with the dismissal of what he termed “bogus” charges against his supporters.
Khan has chosen Mahmood Khan Achakzai, a close political ally and leader of a smaller party, to represent him in these discussions. The military, which has ruled Pakistan for nearly half of its 76-year history but denies political involvement, has yet to respond to Khan’s proposal.
In response, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s government accused Khan of “pleading” for talks with the military, urging him instead to apologize for his past criticisms of the institution. Marriyum Aurangzeb of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party stated, “The self-proclaimed revolutionary who once vowed never to seek forgiveness is now begging the armed forces to engage in talks with him.”
Federal Information Minister Attaullah Tarar labeled Khan’s offer a “conspiracy against the country,” accusing the PTI founder of attempting to drag state institutions into his “dirty politics.”
Khan has been incarcerated since last August, facing convictions in several cases ahead of the national election in February. He is also contesting numerous other charges, which he and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party claim are politically motivated to prevent his return to power.
Despite this, PTI-backed candidates performed better than expected in this year’s election, with a court recently ruling they were entitled to additional reserved seats, although still insufficient for a majority.
On July 22, police raided the PTI headquarters in Islamabad, shortly after Sharif’s government, allegedly supported by the military, threatened to ban the main opposition party.
Earlier this month, an Islamabad judge overturned Khan’s illegal marriage conviction, and the Supreme Court granted PTI more parliamentary seats, positioning it to become the largest party in the National Assembly. Both rulings were seen as significant setbacks for Sharif, who secured a parliamentary majority after the February election by forming a coalition.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan criticized the attempt to ban PTI as “an enormous blow to democratic norms” and accused it of “reeking of political desperation.”
A United Nations expert panel recently concluded that Khan’s detention “lacked legal basis and appears to have been intended to disqualify him from running for political office.”