Imran open to ‘engaging with generals’ if freed

ISLAMABAD: Incarce­rated former PM Imran Khan — who has consistently blamed the military for his ouster from power and subsequent imprisonment, seemingly changed his tune on Sunday, saying that it would be “foolish” not to have “excellent” relations with the army.

Aug 5 marks a whole year since he was jailed on dozens of charges, ranging from corruption to leaking state secrets.

Claiming that his criticisms since his ouster had been directed at individuals, not the military as an institution, he said: “The miscalculations of the military leadership shouldn’t be held against the institution as a whole”.

In an interview published by the Reuters news agency over the weekend, the PTI founder also said that there would be “no harm” in engaging with the generals if he should be released from jail and seek to return to power.

In written responses to Reuters questions relayed by his media and legal team, Mr Khan said, “Given Pakistan’s geographical position and the military’s significant role in the private sector, it would be foolish not to foster such a relationship.”

Last week, Mr Khan had offered “conditional negotiations” with the military if “clean and transparent” elections were held and the “bogus” cases against his supporters were dropped.

He maintained that it was useless to hold any such talks with the Shehbaz Sharif government as, in his view, it does not enjoy public backing.

Rather, Mr Khan said, it would be “more productive to engage with those who actually wield power”.

The military has previously ruled out any talks with him or his party, holding them responsible for the events of May 9.

Mr Khan also rejected the idea of reaching an out-of-court settlement with the government or military, unless they accepted that his party had won a majority in February’s election.

Published in Dawn, August 5th, 2024