Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir denied receiving any letter from former Prime Minister and PTI founder Imran Khan on Thursday.
Speaking informally with the media and apparently referring to Khan’s ‘open letters,’ the army chief stated that even if he did receive one, he would not read it. He further asserted that any such communication would be forwarded to the prime minister.
General Munir emphasized that the country was progressing well and moving forward on the path of development. “Pakistan is advancing, and it must continue to do so,” he added.
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This statement came a day after Khan, who has been imprisoned since August 2023 on multiple charges, including corruption and terrorism, reportedly wrote a third open letter to General Munir, as per his lawyer.
In the letter, the jailed PTI founder reiterated allegations of election rigging, claiming that “money launderers” had been brought into power through manipulated polls. His lawyer, Faisal Chaudhry, stated that Khan raised concerns over what he described as the preference for the minority over the majority through electoral fraud.
Previously, Khan had written two other letters on February 3 and 8, asserting that all democratic avenues had been blocked. In these letters, he highlighted what he claimed was a growing rift between the military and the public, proposing six points for the army to reconsider its policies to regain public trust.
These letters gained significance after PTI ended negotiations with the PML-N-led government last month. During the talks, PTI had demanded the formation of judicial commissions to investigate incidents from May 9, 2023, and November 24-27, along with the release of all political prisoners, including Khan.
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In December last year, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry stated that no political leader’s ambition for power should take precedence over Pakistan’s interests. His remarks were in response to speculations about backdoor negotiations between PTI and the establishment.
“All political parties and leaders are respectable to us, but no individual’s political aspirations are above Pakistan,” he said during a media briefing.
Meanwhile, the government strongly criticized Khan’s decision to write to the army chief. PM’s Adviser on Public and Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah accused Khan of attempting to create divisions between the military and the public or to sow discord within the army’s leadership.
Sanaullah also questioned how these letters were originating from jail, saying, “Where are these letters coming from? If he wants to engage in political struggle, he should do so in the parliament.”
Additionally, PML-N Senator Irfan Siddiqui described Khan’s letter to General Munir as a sign of his “despair and frustration.”