Actor Salman Sheikh aka Mani has called on the government to release former prime minister (PM) and World Cup winning captain Imran Khan from prison, invoking the tradition of sentence reductions granted to prisoners on the occasion of Eid.
Mani made the appeal while speaking to media at a film event. Despite not sharing Imran Khan’s political views, he said enough time had passed and the former premier should be freed.
“Let him go now… just release Imran Khan. It’s been a thousand days now, just let him go,” he said.
“You know when Eid or Bakra Eid comes, prisoners often get reductions in their sentences. So, on this Eid, I would request the government… it’s been long enough… around a thousand days. The punishment has been served, he has learned his lesson… now let him go.”
With the statement going viral, several netizens pointed out that Mani is not a supporter of Khan, which makes his appeal all the more significant.
Khan, former ousted PM and founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has been behind bars since August 5, 2023, when he was arrested from his Zaman Park residence in Lahore after an Islamabad trial court convicted him in the Toshakhana case and sentenced him to three years in prison.
He was initially shifted to Attock Jail and later transferred to Adiala in Rawalpindi.
Khan is widely regarded as one of Pakistan’s most prominent public figures as he led the country to its 1992 Cricket World Cup victory, founded the Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre and served as PM from 2018 until his removal through a vote of no confidence in April 2022.
