Dialogue no longer seen as viable path forward: IK calls for protests

ISLAMABAD: The jailed ex-prime minister Imran Khan on Wednesday called for mass nationwide protests to begin next month, declaring an end to political negotiations.

In a message posted on X, Khan said no force could suppress a nation that rises for its rights, asserting that while he remains physically behind bars, the Pakistani people are the ones “trapped in a prison” due to a lack of judicial independence, media freedom, and democratic governance.

“For two years, I have remained imprisoned solely for the sake of the Pakistani nation,” Khan said. “Now, the time has come for you to stand up for your own freedom and defeat this oppressive system.”

Khan, the founding chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), is serving a prison sentence on multiple charges he claims are politically motivated.

His detention, along with a sweeping crackdown on his party since 2023, has drawn criticism from human rights groups and raised concerns about the fairness of Pakistan’s democratic process.

Khan said the country had reached a turning point following the 26th Constitutional Amendment, which he claimed had effectively dismantled the rule of law.

He accused the judiciary of becoming ineffective and stated that all legal avenues for redress had been exhausted.

“The time for negotiations has now passed,” he said. “The Pakistani nation now has only one path forward: a nationwide protest movement.”

Khan said a detailed roadmap for the protest campaign would be announced later this week, culminating in a mass mobilization on August 5 – the day he marks two years in custody.

Khan also criticized members of his own party, urging PTI officials who are unwilling to join the protest movement to step aside.

“Those who have submitted to these oppressors must remember: these very people will eventually crush you, and the people will never forgive you either,” he warned.

He described his current detention conditions as solitary confinement, alleging that he is locked in a 6-by-8 feet cell for 22 hours a day, with limited contact with his family, lawyers, and no access to books or news media.

“My wife [Bushra Bibi] is also being held in inhumane conditions in solitary confinement,” Khan added.

He accused the military-led establishment of orchestrating his imprisonment and suppressing dissent across the country.

Khan also condemned the government’s policies in erstwhile tribal areas and criticized the suspension of PTI lawmakers in Punjab, saying their protest during the provincial budget session was targeted due to opposition to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leadership.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025