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    • Will Trump get Imran Khan out of jail? Pakistan after the US elections
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    Will Trump get Imran Khan out of jail? Pakistan after the US elections

    Sakege Posted on

    New Delhi: Pakistan’s political elite is now fighting over US President-elect Donald Trump. A day after winning the election, ministers and opposition leaders began arguing over whether Trump would push for the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan from jail.

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) pins its hopes on Trump’s presidency.

    PTI leader Syed Zulfi Bukhari announced his plans to raise Khan’s imprisonment. “I will speak to Trump’s team, his daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner about the injustices against Imran Khan,” he told the media.

    Bukhari added that Trump has a “soft corner with Imran Khan” as he had previously expressed concern about his imprisonment. TO fake video Trump’s promise to get Khan out of jail went viral, adding to the confusion.

    But the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is not amused. The defense minister, foreign minister and foreign affairs spokesperson ruled out such a pardon, while announcing that Pakistan would take a cautious approach to a Trump presidency.

    Will Donald Trump intervene?

    Imran Khan’s user

    “Congratulations from me and PTI for @realDonaldTrump for winning the United States presidential election. The will of the American people stood against all odds. President-elect Trump will be good for Pakistan-US relations based on mutual respect for democracy and human rights. We hope it promotes peace, human rights and democracy worldwide,” the publication says. read.

    Khan has been in prison since 2023 and faces more than 100 charges. He has now been acquitted in all but one case. On October 24, his wife, Bushra Bibi, was released from prison, nine months after they were both sentenced to 12 years in the Toshakhana case. Khan remains in prison accused of complicity in the chaos of May 9, 2023.

    Imran Khan has become embroiled in a standoff with Pakistan’s powerful military leaders, whom he accuses of supporting current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Despite his legal battles, Khan remains extremely popular in Pakistan, with his party winning the most seats in the February 2024 general election.

    In an interviewPakistani geopolitical analyst Uzair Younus said Trump is highly unlikely to intervene in Khan’s release, as this would require direct engagement with Pakistan’s military, a step Trump is unwilling to take.

    No relief for Imran Khan

    The PML-N has expressed skepticism about the likelihood of US intervention in the Imran Khan case.

    Defense Minister Khawaja Asif played down any suggestion that the government might relent, even if Trump requested Khan’s release.

    “Some people say that this is a call from the United States, and Imran Khan will be handed over to the callers (because) Pakistan cannot dare to reject the call (from an American president), he wrote in X. He continued: “However , with all due respect, it should be noted that Nawaz Sharif was once offered 5 billion dollars along with a call but he refused and went ahead with nuclear tests. On the contrary, Pervez Musharraf received a call and complied with the demands imposed on him.”

    Asif gave examples of how Pakistan stood firm despite international pressure, particularly then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, who rejected a $5 billion offer and went ahead with nuclear tests in 1998, while reported by The express tribune.

    Adding fuel to the fire, Rana Sanaullah, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs, dismissed any suggestion that Washington might pressure Pakistan to release Khan. He speculated that if the United States intervened, it might seek an exchange; for example, releasing Imran Khan in exchange for Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist serving a prison sentence in the United States for terrorism-related crimes.

    In an appearance in ARY News‘Khabar Muhammad Malick Ke Saath’, Sanaullah drew several parallels between Imran Khan and Donald Trumpstating that both are “known for spreading falsehoods, mocking others, and attacking institutions.” He added: “(They) share traits such as dishonesty, ridiculing others and resorting to illicit tactics to achieve their goals. Trump, for example, rallied his supporters and stormed the White House.”

    When asked about Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s congratulatory messages to the US president-elect, Sanaullah dismissed them as “merely a diplomatic gesture and a formality”.

    To be or not to be: Trump’s friend

    The battles also spread to social networks. Former US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad questioned how, with a Trump victory, General Asim Munir justify Khan’s imprisonment.

    “It is time to release Imran Khan and others who are detained without a fair judicial process,” Khalilzad wrote. In response, journalist Wajahat Kazmi labeled Khalilzad, “spokesman for the Goldsmith family.”

    Kazmi posted on From accusing the US of toppling Imran Khan’s government to seeking its help from its leader’s Haqeeqi Azaadi is purely comical.”

    Pakistani citizens united with their favorite tool: memes.

    An X user shared a clip of Manoj Bajpayee running with a knife in his hand from the film. Wasseypur Gangs, subtitles it: “Trump heads to Adiyala to free Imran Khan after learning he won.”

    Another shared a clip of a blank-faced Adele with the caption: “Donald Trump when the Pakistanis tell him that Imran Khan is in jail.”

    (Edited by Prashant)

    Sakege
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