'If Anything Happens, Asim Munir Will Be Responsible': Imran Khan In 2024

As the mystery over the whereabouts of Pakistan's former Prime Minister and legendary cricketer Imran Khan deepens, the lines he wrote in an op-ed a year back have started doing the rounds. The 73-year-old founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf has been in jail since August 2023 after he was convicted in several cases that he has claimed are politically motivated. He has since been held in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. Khan's family has said they have not been allowed to meet for over a month now, but jail authorities insist he is healthy.

A 2024 Newspaper Article

In a May 2, 2024, op-ed for the British newspaper The Telegraph, Khan accused Pakistan's military establishment under its army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, of trying every tactic to decimate his party's presence from Pakistan's political environment. He then went on to write that Munir would be responsible if anything happened to him and also said he would "prefer death over slavery".

"The military establishment has done all they could against me. All that is left for them is to now murder me. I have stated publicly that if anything happens to me or my wife, General Asim Munir will be responsible. But I am not afraid because my faith is strong. I would prefer death over slavery," Khan wrote.

As rumours of his death in captivity circulate, his remarks in the article are doing the rounds on social media. Khan's supporters are holding a sit-in protest outside Adiala Jail and demanding that they be allowed to meet him.

Imran Khan's Son's Letter

His son Kasim Khan has now demanded his father's release. "For the past six weeks, he has been kept alone in a death cell in an environment of complete isolation. His sisters have been barred from every meeting, despite clear court orders. No phone calls, no meetings, and no news of his well-being. My brother and I have not been able to contact our father in any way," Kasim wrote.

READ: Amid Imran Khan's Death Rumours, Son Kasim Demands Proof Of Life

He said that this "complete darkness is not part of any security protocol" and called it a deliberate effort to conceal his father's condition.

"Let it be clear that the Pakistani government and its masters will bear full legal, moral, and international responsibility for my father's safety and every consequence of this inhumane isolation," he added.

He appealed to the international community and human rights organisations to intervene. He demanded confirmation that his father is alive, access to him as per court orders, and an end to his "inhumane isolation."

What Jail Officials Said

The jail authorities have rejected rumours about Khan's health. "The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Imran's party) leadership has been informed regarding Imran Khan's health. All necessary care is being provided to the PTI chief," the jail administration said in a statement.

The Adiala administration clarified that reports about shifting Imran Khan from Adiala Jail are entirely baseless. "Imran Khan is in Adiala Jail and is healthy. The social media rumours about his transfer are unfounded," the jail administration said.