Imran Khan urges PTI to stand firm on ideology from jail

Pakistan's jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan has urged leaders of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to remain committed to its political principles and resist pressure, according to party Secretary General Salman Akram Raja.

Raja conveyed the message during an interview with Geo News on Thursday, after two lawyers met Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, at Adiala jail the previous day, Pakistan's Dawn newspaper reported.

"Imran Khan's fundamental message was to stick firmly to the ideology," Raja said, citing his conversations with lawyer Barrister Salman Safdar following the prison meeting.

Raja said Khan had also instructed him to uphold the party's principles while working to reorganise the PTI.

The meeting took place after the Islamabad High Court directed prison authorities to facilitate legal consultations between Khan and his lawyers.

Safdar and Advocate Latif Khosa met Khan and Bushra Bibi for about three hours on Wednesday. According to the lawyers, their discussions primarily concerned legal proceedings and health issues.

Raja said Khan had reaffirmed his confidence in National Assembly Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Senate Opposition Leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, both of whom he had nominated for their positions.

He said Khan remained committed to democracy and public welfare and regarded the people's right to govern as a central political principle.

The PTI secretary general also raised concerns about Khan's health, claiming that the former prime minister's blood pressure had been unstable and had reached 193 on Saturday. The report did not specify the measurement or provide an independent medical assessment.

Raja said Khan had issued instructions concerning a possible 28th constitutional amendment, including the rights of smaller provinces and proposals to establish new administrative units.

He added that public opinion should be considered before proceeding with any changes to provincial boundaries or administrative arrangements.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister's Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah rejected speculation that the lawyers' meeting was connected to negotiations over the proposed constitutional amendment.

Speaking to Geo News, Sanaullah said the meeting had been arranged to allow Khan's lawyers to consult their clients before presenting arguments in court.

He maintained that the meeting was a legal consultation rather than part of a political arrangement over constitutional changes.

Khan, who served as Pakistan's prime minister from 2018 until his removal through a parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022, has been imprisoned since August 2023 and faces multiple legal cases.

He and his party have repeatedly described the prosecutions as politically motivated, an allegation rejected by Pakistani authorities.