Lahore: Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir must be held responsible in the event of “anything happening to me or my wife in jail”, said former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The 72-year-old cricketer-turned-politician, is currently lodged in Adiala Jail where he is serving sentences in multiple cases. His wife Bushra Bibi, sentenced to seven years in prison in a land corruption case, is also behind bars.
Imran wrote a long post addressed to members of his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), flagging the harsh treatment they were being subjected to and asking them to hold the Army chief accountable if anything happens to them in jail.
Imran’s sister Aleema Khanum uploaded a video on social media in which she conveyed her the former PM’s message to PTI members.
“In recent days, the harsh treatment I face in jail has intensified. The same applies to my wife, Bushra Bibi. Even the television in her cell has been switched off. All basic rights – both human and those legally granted to prisoners – have been suspended for both of us.”
Demanding “accountability” for such harsh treatment, Imran claimed he is fully aware that a colonel and the jail superintendent are carrying out actions on Asim Munir’s orders.
“Therefore, I give clear instructions to my party — if anything happens to me in jail, Asim Munir must be held accountable,” Imran said.
Refusing to bow before ‘tyranny and oppression’, Imran said: “I am prepared to spend my entire life in prison… My message to the people of Pakistan is the same – never submit to this oppressive system under any circumstances,” adding that the time for negotiations has passed and it’s now time for nationwide protest.
The founder of PTI said that even convicted murderers and terrorists are kept in better conditions than he was. “Meanwhile, I am subjected to relentless abuse. But no matter what they do, I have never bowed before oppression – and I never will.”
Following the post of Imran, who has been behind bars since August 2023, PTI alleged that the former prime minister was confined to a “death cell” where he was deprived of fundamental rights.
Dawn reported quoting PTI’s central Information secretary Sheikh Waqqas Akram that Imran was being held in isolation for 22 hours a day.
“Despite being a former prime minister, Khan was denied both his status and even the basic rights of an ordinary prisoner, which is a matter of grave concern as he is the country’s most popular leader, and the entire nation is deeply worried about his well-being and safety,” Akram said.
Imran is also being denied access to newspapers, television and books, while meetings with friends and political associates have been suspended.