“The elections were the most rigged in Pakistan’s history,” says Imran Khan (File)
Islamabad:
Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who blames the military for his ouster and 12-month prison sentence on what he calls trumped-up charges, said on Sunday it would be “foolish” not to have “excellent” relations with the Pakistani government. army.
Ahead of the anniversary of his prison sentence on dozens of charges ranging from corruption to leaking state secrets, Khan also said in written answers to questions from Reuters that he bore no grudge against the United States, which he has also blamed for his ouster in 2022.
“Given Pakistan’s geographical location and the military’s important role in the private sector, it would be foolish not to foster such a relationship,” Imran Khan wrote in responses from his media and legal team.
“We are proud of our soldiers and armed forces,” he said.
Imran Khan said his criticism since his ouster has been directed at individuals, not the military as an institution. “The miscalculations of the military leadership should not be held against the institution as a whole.”
On Wednesday, Imran Khan offered to hold “conditional negotiations” with the South Asian country’s military – if “clean and transparent” elections were held and “fake” cases against his supporters were dropped.
The Pakistani military and government did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Imran Khan’s comments to Reuters. They have both repeatedly denied his claims.
The United States denies any role in his ouster.
In his responses, the 71-year-old former cricket star did not specify what he wanted to discuss with the military.
‘OPEN TO ANY DIALOGUE’ WITH THE ARMY
The military, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its 76-year independent history, plays an outsized role in the politics and governance of the country of 240 million people.
No Pakistani prime minister has served a full five-year term, and most have spent time in prison. Analysts say most of them secured their release after striking deals with the military, a claim the military denies.
Imran Khan, who lost power in a parliamentary vote of no confidence after falling out with the generals, has said the military is backing politically motivated cases against him, which the army has denied.
Still, he said there would be “no harm” in engaging with the generals if he were released from prison and tried to return to power.
“We are open to any dialogue that could help improve the dire situation in Pakistan,” he said, adding that it was futile to open such talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s coalition government, which he said has no public support for claiming it won a stolen election in February.
According to Imran Khan, it would be “more productive to engage in discussions with those who actually exercise power.”
The military – which says Imran Khan and his party were behind attacks on military installations last year during widespread protests against his detention – previously ruled out any talks with him.
Imran Khan’s capture has increased political volatility in Pakistan, which has been in a prolonged economic crisis and received a bailout from the International Monetary Fund last month.
Political instability since Imran Khan’s ouster from power has forced Islamabad to accept the IMF’s painful fiscal consolidation demands, which have saddled its people with heavy taxes, analysts say.
The IMF has called for political stability to help the $350 billion economy bounce back.
Imran Khan rejected the idea of reaching an out-of-court settlement with the government or military unless they accepted that his PTI party had won a majority in the February elections.
“The elections were the most rigged in the history of Pakistan,” Imran Khan told Reuters.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
