Army has ruled out possiblity of deal with Imran Khan: report

Amid claims of yet another major political development, this time in favour of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the military has dismissed the possibility of negotiating with incarcerated party founder Imran Khan, a foreign media outlet has claimed.

As per the details, London-based The Guardian has quoted senior military sources as ruling out the possibility of striking a deal or negotiating with Khan days after the former prime minister expressed willingness to engage in talks with the military leadership from his jail cell at Rawalpindi's Adiala.

According to reports, the British newspaper had sent a questionnaire to Imran via his legal team, and in his responses, the incarcerated PTI founder confirmed that he had not had any direct interaction with the military since after he was arrested and locked up in August 2023.

Khan, however, said he would not rule out striking a deal with the establishment. It merits a mention here that the incarcerated former premier had earlier launched a tirade against the establishment, accusing the country's military leadership of ousting his government.

The report quoted senior military leadership as saying that Khan, for the past few months, had been "applying pressure" for discussions with the military and had even offered to hold unconditional talks while seeking a deal for his release.

However, the military leadership is resolute in refusing to enter into any negotiations with him, the report said.

“Khan has to face the court cases against him, and can’t expect any deals from the military. Khan wants everyone to follow the rule of law, but he does not want this rule of law for himself,” it quoted military sources as saying.

“With regards to doing a deal with the military, any engagement would be based on principles and in the interest of the people, not personal gain or compromises that undermine Pakistan’s democratic values,” Khan reportedly told the publication.

While the PTI founder's rhetoric towards the current military establishment has taken a more conciliatory tone in recent weeks, his jail time continues to drag on as he faces over a hundred cases that his legal team claims to be "baseless".

Meanwhile, the government is yet to confirm if Khan could be facing a military trial for his alleged involvement in attacks on military instalments on May 9, 2023. The report quoted Khan as saying that a civilian could not be tried in a military court, let alone a former premier.

“It’s ludicrous. The only reason to try a civilian in military court is because no other court of justice would convict me. The very idea of it is alarming,” Khan reportedly told the publication.