Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan penned another open letter to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir on Saturday, raising concerns about alleged mistreatment in jail among other things.
“The prison administration has subjected me to every form of injustice to exert pressure on me, blatantly violating basic human rights. I have been confined to a death cell and was held in complete isolation for 20 days, deprived of even sunlight,” Imran said in his letter posted on his X (formerly Twitter) handle.
Imran revealed that the jail authorities cut the electricity to his cell and kept him in complete darkness for five consecutive days.
“My exercise equipment and television were confiscated, and I was denied access to newspapers. Even books are withheld arbitrarily. In addition to these 20 days of confinement, I was locked up again for 40 hours. Over the past six months, I have only been allowed to speak to my sons three times,” he stated in the letter.
Imran explained that his previous letter was written with “good intentions for the betterment of the country and its people, aiming to bridge the growing divide between the army and the public. However, the response to my letter was marked by extreme frivolity and irresponsibility.”
The PTI founder asserted that if public opinion were sought, 90 percent of the people would support the points raised in his previous letter.
He raised concerns regarding recent legal and political developments in the country, as well as the challenges faced by his party and its workers.
“All these actions go against our traditions and have significantly increased public resentment toward the army. If addressed promptly, it would benefit both the army and the nation. Otherwise, the consequences could lead to irreparable losses,” he reiterated, echoing the sentiments expressed in his first letter.
Imran emphasized, “For the stability and security of the country, it is crucial to reduce the gap between the army and the people. The only way to bridge this growing divide is for the army to return to its constitutional role, distance itself from politics, and focus on its assigned responsibilities. This task must be undertaken by the army itself; otherwise, this widening gap could turn into fault lines threatening national security.”
This is Imran’s second open letter to the army chief. He previously wrote his first open letter to Gen Asim Munir and highlighted the “growing distance” between the military and the public.
Imran also criticized the recent Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) amendments, a crackdown on social media, cases of terrorism charges, raids, and the use of force against PTI workers. He added that the threats to journalists were damaging the army’s reputation, Gohar said.
“The army is being blamed for these reasons, so the policy reasons must be reevaluated,” he said.
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