'You have changed history'; Maulana Tariq Jamil on what he would say to Imran Khan

Renowned religious cleric Maulana Tariq Jamil, during an appearance on Journalist Irshad Bhatti’s YouTube channel on Sunday, expressed admiration for incarcerated former premier Imran Khan, saying that the latter has “changed history.”

“If I get a chance to meet him [Imran Khan] in jail, I will say, ‘Well done. You have changed history,” the cleric said in reply to a question about what Jamil would say to the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Imran Khan if he were permitted to meet him in jail.

Asked whether the cleric was certain that Imran Khan would endure imprisonment, he said, “I was 100 percent certain… my meetings with him led me to conclude that he will never make a deal.”

The host then said that Jamil had been an advocate for Imran Khan’s vision of Riyasat-e-Madina, asking what the cleric noted in Imran Khan’s character. In response, Jamil said, “Imran Khan is an honest, truthful, and faithful man.”

On being asked whether he is optimistic about Imran Khan’s return to power, Jamil said that he is certain that Pakistan's situation will change in the future.

The host then shifted the topic to the number of cases against Imran Khan. On the Iddat case against former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, Jamil stated that in over 14 centuries, no such case had ever existed. “A lie has neither feet nor a head. How can iddat even be a case where only a woman's testimony is accepted,” he questioned.

The cleric went on to further inquire with the host to tell him about a single legitimate case against Imran Khan. When the host informed Jamil about the ToshaKhana case, the cleric said, “He [Imran Khan] paid the money. A man who has already transferred his entire property to Shaukat Khanum Hospital—would he sell himself for a mere watch? Think for yourself.”

On August 5, 2023, Imran Khan was arrested from his residency at Zaman Park Lahore shortly after his conviction in the Toshakhana case and had been held in Attock jail. He has been in prison since then on multiple charges.

Following the Islamabad High Court (IHC) order, the PTI founder was shifted to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi on September 27, 2023. Currently, he is held in Jail under high security and with B-class facilities due to his status as a former premier.