Islamabad: Imran Khan, Pakistan’s former prime minister currently imprisoned, has announced that his party is prepared to engage in “conditional negotiations” with the country’s powerful military and has designated a representative for the talks.
In a post on Khan’s official X handle on Wednesday, he stated, “We will hold conditional negotiations if the military leadership appoints its representative.” This message was relayed from his jail cell on Tuesday.
The military’s media wing has not yet responded to requests for comment.
The Pakistani military has a history of ruling the country for more than half of its 63-year history, though it currently denies involvement in politics.
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Khan has been incarcerated since August of last year and was convicted in several cases leading up to the national elections in February. He is also battling numerous other legal cases.
Khan and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party contend that these charges are politically motivated to obstruct his return to power. Despite this, PTI-backed candidates performed better than anticipated in the elections, and a recent court decision has granted them additional reserved seats, though not enough to secure outright control.
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Khan has specified that one of the conditions for negotiations is the assurance of “clean and transparent” elections and the dismissal of what he describes as “bogus” cases against his supporters.
To facilitate the talks, Khan has appointed Mahmood Khan Achakzai, a close political ally and leader of a smaller party, as his representative.
