Jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan would not confront army chief Asim Munir if he were released, one of his closest aides said, suggesting Munir could extend a “healing hand” following a legal breakthrough this week.
Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered authorities to transfer Khan, 73, from prison to a private hospital within 48 hours.
“If Imran Khan was released tomorrow, hypothetically, he wouldn’t do anything that would effectively damage the country,” Bukhari said, describing him as “magnanimous”. “That doesn’t mean you go loggerheads with the establishment, with the military leader,” he said, according to Reuters. The military has previously said it does not interfere in politics, while the government maintains that Khan’s cases are matters for the courts. Bukhari described the ruling as a “new ray of hope” and said PTI would follow the court’s instruction preventing its workers and leaders from gathering outside the hospital. Earlier reporting noted: Jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan would not confront the military or army chief Asim Munir if freed, one of his closest aides told Reuters, portraying Munir as able to extend a “healing hand” after a legal breakthrough this week.
The remarks, made to Reuters after Pakistan’s top court ordered Khan’s transfer to hospital for treatment, appeared to signal a notable shift in rhetoric from Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, party. But PTI spokesperson Zulfikar Bukhari, a Khan aide, offered one of the clearest indications yet that the party could be prepared to mend ties with the military. Such a move could ease one of the most intense political confrontations in Pakistan’s recent history, although it remains unclear whether Khan himself would endorse the approach. The government and military did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Bukhari’s remarks. Analysts widely viewed the decision as a possible first step toward reducing tensions between the military and Khan’s party, even if temporarily.
Earlier reporting noted: Zulfikar Bukhari, a PTI spokesperson, sent one of the strongest signals so far that the party was willing to reconcile with the military, potentially easing one of the tensest stand-offs in recent Pakistani political history. Earlier reporting noted: The comments, which came after Pakistan’s top court ordered Khan to be moved to hospital for treatment, appeared to mark a significant change in rhetoric by his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI. By Thursday afternoon, however, Khan had yet to be transferred, and it was unclear whether the government would seek to challenge the ruling again after a challenge was rejected on technical grounds earlier on Thursday.
