PTI Chairman Advocate Gohar Ali Khan on Wednesday said that former Prime Minister Imran Khan has offered to resolve the recent Pakistan-Afghanistan hostilities and other issues if he is released on parole.
Imran, jailed since August 2023, is serving a sentence in Adiala jail in a £190 million corruption case and also faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to the May 9 protests. The PTI has periodically expressed concern about his health and that of the former first lady.
Meanwhile, lingering tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan over cross-border terrorism erupted into fighting and skirmishes over the weekend that left several dead and wounded on both sides. A temporary ceasefire was announced today after three days of fighting.
Addressing a press conference outside Adiala Jail after a meeting with Imran, lawyer Gohar said: “Today, Imran has sent this message: ‘I offer you people to release me on parole and I will solve the Afghanistan problem for you.'”
The same was mentioned a little earlier by Imran’s sister Noreen Niazi, who said that the PTI founder was hurt by the hasty repatriation of Afghan refugees after Pakistan had hosted them for decades.
According to Noreen, Imran said it was the job of politicians to make peace and had offered to play his part in the effort if he was released on parole.
“They should think why Pakistan’s conditions have become such that three million people have left the country, multinational companies are leaving the country and there is no foreign investment in Pakistan.” [Imran] “He says that peace is necessary and that can only be achieved with political stability,” he said.
However, expressing doubts, Imran’s sister said that her brother would never accept her offer.
A message posted on Imran’s
“The issue of terrorism cannot be resolved without dialogue with the Afghan government,” the message said. The PTI founder then directed the new KP government to talk to relevant stakeholders and formulate an effective and comprehensive counter-terrorism strategy to ensure long-term peace in the province.
