Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has announced his intention to write a letter to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir about the deteriorating economic and political conditions in the country.
Addressing journalists during an interaction at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail on Monday, Imran stated, “I will pen a letter to the army chief concerning the current state of affairs in the nation.”
These remarks follow Imran’s recent delegation of an “important responsibility” to former president Dr. Arif Alvi, who has been actively working to mend the divide between the establishment and the ousted ruling party.
Imran, who was ousted from power through a controversial parliamentary vote in April 2022, assigned Alvi the task after rejecting the military’s demand for an apology concerning the May 9 riots, distancing his party from the ensuing violent protests following his arrest.
Responding to queries about the £190 million settlement case, Imran clarified that Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) had seized the amount due to “suspicious transactions,” not “money laundering.”
During the PTI government, the NCA seized assets worth £190 million from a property tycoon.
Imran further noted that if the case proceeds in civil court, the money may not return to Pakistan for another five years, and both the private party and the UK’s NCA had requested not to disclose the agreement.
Regarding inquiries about calling former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on accountability Shehzad Akbar and Farhat Shahzadi alias Farah Gogi to prove his innocence, Imran clarified that he only met Gogi thrice, and those meetings pertained to his wife.
Regarding Akbar’s return to the homeland in the current scenario, Imran remarked, “Shehzad Akbar will be picked up from the airport if he returns.”
It’s worth noting that in February 2024, an accountability court in Rawalpindi indicted Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the £190 million reference.
