Lahore: Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan on Wednesday claimed that army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir’s policies are “disastrous” for the country and accused him of deliberately “igniting tensions” with Afghanistan.
The 73-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician made the remarks in a social media post a day after his sister, Dr Uzma Khan, met him at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail after more than a month following Shehbaz Sharif’s government’s “special permission”.
“Asim Munir’s policies are disastrous for Pakistan. Because of his policies, terrorism has spiralled out of control, which grieves me deeply,” Khan said in an X post in Urdu.
Khan stated, “Asim Munir has no concern for Pakistan’s national interests. He is doing all this merely to please Western powers. He deliberately ignited tensions with Afghanistan so that he could be seen internationally as a so-called ‘mujahid’ (Islamic fighter),” highlighting his belief that domestic stability has been undermined by these policies.
The former prime minister described Munir’s policies as catastrophic, saying, “Asim Munir’s policies are disastrous for Pakistan. Because of his policies, terrorism has spiralled out of control, which grieves me deeply.” These remarks were made in a social media post following a rare visit from his sister, Dr Uzma Khan.
Khan accused Munir of escalating the situation with Afghanistan through direct threats, refugee expulsions, and drone strikes. He stated that Asim Munir first threatened Afghans, expelled refugees from Pakistan and then carried out drone attacks, all of which have led to rising terrorism.
Khan also addressed his conditions in prison, saying that he has been kept in complete solitary confinement inside a cell with no outside contact for around four weeks. He added, “I was kept entirely cut off from the outside world, and even the basic necessities guaranteed under the jail manual have been taken away from us.” He alleged that authorities had significantly restricted his access to legal and family visits.
He further spoke about the impact of his detention and government actions on human rights, stating, “Pick up any human rights charter, psychological torture is considered ‘torture’ and is deemed even more severe than physical torture. My sister Noreen Niazi was dragged on the road simply for demanding her legitimate right to meet me.” These statements have intensified scrutiny of Pakistan’s handling of political prisoners.
His sister, Dr Uzma Khan, after visiting him, reported that Khan’s health was stable but that he was distressed by his treatment in solitary confinement. She said, “Praise be to Allah! His health is perfectly fine. However, he was very angry and said that they are subjecting him to mental torture.”
