Imran Khan shares message from jail. Imran Khan, the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), wrote a message from within the Adiala Prison to his party’s members and supporters, declaring that he is “stronger and fitter than ever.”
On Thursday, Khan’s official account on X, the microblogging platform formerly known as Twitter, posted the message shared on October 10 through his family.
The former prime minister was first detained on August 5 in connection with a corruption case, and since then he has been detained, first at the Attock Jail and most recently at the Adiala Jail.
Khan said in the message that the first few days in the prison were “particularly challenging” as there was no bed for him to sleep in the “insects and mosquitoes” infested cell he was kept in. However, he said, he has adjusted to the prison conditions.
“Let it be known that there’s a difference of day and night between the Imran Khan of today and the Imran Khan who was imprisoned on August 5. Today I am stronger and fitter; spiritually, mentally and physically, than ever before,” he said.
Imran Khan shares message from jail. check the Tweet:
Chairman Imran Khan’s message to the people of Pakistan shared through his family on the 10th of October:
“When I was illegally incarcerated in Attock Jail, the first few days were particularly challenging. I wasn’t provided a bed and had to sleep on the floor and had insects…
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) October 12, 2023
The former prime minister added that, in addition to an in-depth study of the Holy Quran and other works, he had the chance to “introspect” the final years of his political career while he was incarcerated.
“Regardless of what prison they keep me in, whatever conditions they impose upon me, I will not back down even an inch from the quest of Haqeeqi Azadi, for the upholding of the rule of law and the Constitution of Pakistan, at the core of which is free and fair elections. To those suggesting that I leave the country, know that I will live and die with Pakistan, and I will not leave my land to go anywhere,” he added.
Discussing the cipher case, in which he is currently being tried, Khan said that the case was “designed to protect former Army Chief General Bajwa and Donald Lu [Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Affairs]”.
It should be recalled that the former prime minister has been accusing the United States of supporting a “regime change” plot since 2022, the year he lost a vote of confidence that led to the overthrow of his administration.
The controversy started on March 27, 2022, when Khan waved a letter in front of the crowd while speaking at a public rally.
Khan claimed that the letter was a cypher from a foreign country that had conspired with his political rivals to overthrow the PTI government. This was less than a month before he was removed from office in April of last year.
He kept the letter’s contents a secret and avoided mentioning the country it was addressed to. But a few days later, he claimed that Donald Lu had attempted to have him removed and that the US had been plotting against him.
“I was the elected prime minister of the country. Treason was committed against me and my govt by General Bajwa, instead of investigating the foreign conspiracy in orchestrating a regime change, a case has been filed against me for informing the people of Pakistan, the real protectors of this country, about this treason,” he said in his message.
The PTI leader further stated that the only thing that disturbs him is that his supporters and employees have to endure months of “illegal” detention.
Later, he urged the legal system to uphold justice by directing the PTI employees’ immediate release.
For their claimed roles in the May 9 riots, when gangs of attackers set fire to and pillaged government and military buildings in protest of Khan’s first arrest on that day, numerous PTI officials and countless employees are today behind bars.
Besides that, Khan urged his supporters not to give up as “this time of trial will end”, referring to a verse of the Holy Quran that translates into “so, verily, with every difficulty, there is ease”.
“Keep raising your voice against this unelected predatory group and their facilitators at every forum and keep demanding a fair and transparent election in the country,” he added.
At the conclusion of his speech, Khan made the audacious claim that his followers will turn out in “huge numbers” on election day to defeat all of these parties collectively.
It is important to note that Khan is no longer eligible to run for office following his conviction in the Toshakhana case, and there are questions surrounding the PTI’s participation in the general elections, which are anticipated to take place at the start of next year.
“No matter how much these people cheat, their only destiny is defeat. Pakistan Zindabad,” the message concluded.
