Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rashid stated on Thursday that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan is unlikely to be released from imprisonment soon. Speaking to the media at a district and sessions court in Islamabad, Rashid asserted, “They won’t allow the PTI founder to be released at this moment.”
Imran Khan, who has been in prison since August of the previous year, is seeking a suspension of his sentence in the iddat case. Despite having secured relief in cases such as the £190 million reference, the cipher case, and the Toshakhana case, Khan was handed a seven-year sentence along with his wife, Bushra Bibi, after a trial court deemed their nikah fraudulent in February.
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The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government has expressed its intention to keep Khan behind bars. A government adviser stated on Geo News’ ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’ that Khan’s main agenda is to destabilize the country and spread chaos, hence the government will try to keep him imprisoned as long as possible.
Within the PTI, Khan’s imprisonment has sparked internal conflict, with 21 lawmakers hinting at forming a forward bloc due to the party’s leadership’s failure to secure his release and that of other leaders. Sources reported to Geo News that over 27 PTI lawmakers consulted following Shehryar Afridi’s statement about his resignation, with figures like Shandana Gulzar Khan and Sher Afzal Marwat expressing frustration with the party leadership’s incompetence.
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Rashid also commented on the broader political landscape, predicting that PML-N President Nawaz Sharif would change his narrative by the end of July. Reports from Geo News suggested that Nawaz Sharif plans to play a more active role in national politics, including holding more meetings with party leaders and workers to strengthen the current political system.
Additionally, Rashid emphasized the need for negotiation with the army to find a middle ground and remove “this corrupt government.”