Former PM Imran Khan would not confront Pakistan army chief if freed, close aide says

Jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan would not confront the military or army chief Asim Munir if released, one of his closest aides told Reuters, signalling a possible shift in rhetoric by Khan’s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The comments came after Pakistan’s top court ordered Khan to be moved to hospital for treatment, a decision analysts viewed as a potential first step towards easing tensions between Khan’s party and the military.

PTI supporters have for years rallied against Munir, whom they blame for Khan’s imprisonment in 2023 after his falling-out with the military leadership. Khan, a former cricket hero, has himself described Munir as “mentally unstable”.

But in an interview on Wednesday, Khan aide Zulfikar Bukhari, a PTI spokesperson, sent one of the strongest signals yet that the party was willing to reconcile with the military, potentially easing one of the tensest stand-offs in recent Pakistani political history.

“If Imran Khan was released tomorrow, hypothetically, he wouldn't do anything that would effectively damage the country,” Bukhari said, describing him as “magnanimous”.

“That doesn't mean you go loggerheads with the establishment, with the military leader,” he said. “You control your own hurt. You curb your own pain. You swallow it for the betterment of your country.”

The government and military did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Bukhari’s remarks. The military has previously said it does not interfere in politics, while the government says Khan’s cases are matters for the courts.

The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered authorities to transfer Khan, 73, from prison to a private hospital within 48 hours. Analysts widely interpreted the decision as a potential first step towards lowering tensions between the military and Khan’s party, even if only temporarily.

Bukhari called the ruling a “new ray of hope” and said PTI would comply with the court’s instruction that its workers and leaders not gather outside the hospital.

As of Thursday afternoon, Khan had still not been transferred, and it was unclear whether the government would resubmit a challenge that was rejected on technical grounds earlier on Thursday.

Bukhari said there were no talks between PTI and the military, but described Munir, who also holds the rank of field marshal, as Pakistan’s most powerful man.

If Munir woke up “one fine morning” and said, “Enough, I need to show I'm the father of the nation at the moment”, he could “rub his healing hand on to the country”, Bukhari said.

“I would feel that every political prisoner would be out within 24 hours,” he added.

Analysts cautioned that Khan’s thinking may differ from that of PTI leaders who have avoided arrest. Much of the party’s organisational structure has been dismantled by Pakistani authorities, while many of its former senior officials remain in prison.

“It’s unclear if PTI’s leadership have the capacity, so long as Khan is in jail, to present a common front in any potential engagement or negotiation with the state,” said Michael Kugelman, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.

Party leaders last spoke with Khan eight months ago, Bukhari said. He is currently living in self-imposed exile in Dubai.

There have been no recent comments from Khan, who has been held in what human rights groups have described as solitary confinement. But in comments attributed to him last November, he described Munir as “the most tyrannical dictator in history”, accused him of “inflicting every form of cruelty upon me and my wife” and said, “no matter what they do, I will neither bow down nor submit to them”.

Since losing power in a parliamentary no-confidence vote in 2022, Khan has faced multiple legal cases, including over state gifts, allegations of instigating violent attacks on military and state installations, and an accusation involving an unlawful marriage.

All but one of his convictions have been suspended or overturned, with appeals pending. He denies wrongdoing.

Despite signs of a cautious rapprochement, Bukhari said PTI would proceed with a nationwide march on September 27 regardless of whether Khan was transferred to hospital.

The protest would demand implementation of his court-ordered treatment, access for his family, doctors, lawyers and party leadership, prompt hearings in his cases and, ultimately, his release.

Senior PTI leaders who have gone into hiding would participate in or help organise the mobilisation, he added.

“You'll probably see a lot of leadership come out of hiding,” he said. “Even if you don't see them, you'll see them mobilising.”