"Terrorist Treated Better": Imran Khan's Big Charge Against Asim Munir

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has asked members of his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), to hold Army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir accountable if anything happens to him or his wife, Bushra Bibi, in jail. The 72-year-old cricketer-turned-politician is lodged in Pakistan's Adiala Jail, where he's serving sentences in multiple cases. Khan's sister Aleema Khan uploaded a video on social media in which she conveyed her brother's message to PTI members.

In a lengthy post on X, Khan wrote, "In recent days, the harsh treatment I face in jail has intensified. The same applies to my wife, Bushra Bibi. Even the television in her cell has been switched off. All basic rights - both human and those legally granted to prisoners - have been suspended for both of us."

He said that "there must be accountability for" such harsh treatment and claimed that he is fully aware that a colonel and the jail superintendent are carrying out actions "on the orders of Asim Munir."

"Therefore, I give clear instructions to my party -- if anything happens to me in jail, Asim Munir must be held accountable," Khan added.

"I am prepared to spend my entire life in prison, but there is no question of bowing before tyranny and oppression. My message to the people of Pakistan is the same - never submit to this oppressive system under any circumstances," he reiterated and added the time for negotiations has passed -- now is the time for nationwide protest.

The PTI chief further said that even convicted murderers and terrorists are kept in better conditions than he was, and said, "Meanwhile, I am subjected to relentless abuse. But no matter what they do, I have never bowed before oppression - and I never will."

Khan also reiterated a claim he had made about a month ago about how the oppression against his wife, Bushra Bibi, is rooted in an incident from his tenure as the prime minister.

"When Asim Munir was removed from his post of ISI chief, he attempted to send a message to Bushra Bibi through Zulfi Bukhari (PTI leader), requesting a meeting. She firmly refused," Khan said.

"Since then, Asim Munir has had a personal grudge and is now inflicting this cruelty to emotionally break me. From the very beginning, the goal has been to pressure me by targeting Bushra Bibi," he claimed.

Lambasting Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz and Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, Khan said the duo has unleashed a climate of tyranny and fascism on the people of Punjab for the past two years. He urged his party members to set aside personal differences entirely and take part in the protest movement. 

"I also direct all party members and officials to personally retweet my Twitter messages and help amplify my voice to as many people as possible," he said.

Khan has been behind bars since August 2023 after he was booked in multiple cases.

After Khan's post, PTI on Thursday alleged that the former prime minister was confined to a "death cell" and deprived of his fundamental rights. Party's Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqqas Akram claimed Khan was being held in isolation for 22 hours a day, according to a Dawn report. 

"Despite being a former prime minister, Khan was denied both his status and even the basic rights of an ordinary prisoner, which was a matter of grave concern, as he was the country's most popular leader, and the entire nation was deeply worried about his well-being and safety," he said.

Akram also claimed the PTI founder was denied access to newspapers, television and books, while meetings with friends and political associates have been suspended.