New Delhi: The Pakistani political elite are now fighting over US President-elect Donald Trump. A day after he won the elections, ministers and opposition leaders started arguing over whether Trump would push for the release of former Prime Minister Imran Khan from jail.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is pinning its hopes on the Trump presidency.
PTI leader Syed Zulfi Bukhari announced his plans to raise Khan’s incarceration. “I will talk to Trump’s team, daughter Ivanka and son-in-law Jared Kushner about the injustices against Imran Khan,” he told the media.
Bukhari added that Trump has a ‘soft corner for Imran Khan’, having previously expressed concern over his imprisonment. A deepfake video of Trump promising to get Khan out of jail went viral, adding to the confusion.
But the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) isn’t amused. The defence minister, foreign minister, and the foreign affairs spokesperson ruled out any such pardon, while announcing that Pakistan would be taking a cautious approach to the Trump presidency.
Will Donald Trump intervene?
A congratulatory message for Trump was posted from Imran Khan’s X handle, describing the President-elect as Khan’s “very good friend” while praising the resilience of the American people in ensuring Trump’s win.
“Congratulations on behalf of myself & PTI to @realDonaldTrump for winning the US Presidential Elections. The will of the American people held against all odds. President Elect Trump will be good for Pak-US relations based on mutual respect for democracy & human rights. We hope he will push for peace, human rights and democracy globally,” the post read.
Khan has been in prison since 2023, facing over 100 charges. He has now been acquitted in all but one case. On 24 October, his wife, Bushra Bibi, was released from jail, nine months after they were both sentenced to 12 years in the Toshakhana case. Khan remains in prison on charges of abetting the chaos of 9 May 2023.
Imran Khan has been locked in a standoff with Pakistan’s powerful military leadership, whom he accuses of supporting the current Prime Minister, Shehbaz Sharif. Despite his legal battles, Khan remains extremely popular in Pakistan, with his party winning the most seats in the February 2024 general election.
In an interview, Pakistani geopolitical analyst Uzair Younus said that it is highly unlikely Trump would intervene in Khan’s release, as this would require direct engagement with the Pakistan military—a move Trump is not inclined to make.
No relief for Imran Khan
The PML-N has expressed scepticism over the likelihood of US intervention in Imran Khan’s case.
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif downplayed any suggestion that the government might relent, even if Trump were to request Khan’s release.
“Some people say that it’s a matter of the call from America, and Imran Khan will be handed over to the callers [because] Pakistan cannot dare to refuse the call [from an American president], he wrote on X. He continued, “However, with due respect, it should be noted that Nawaz Sharif was once offered $5 billion along with a call, but he refused and went ahead with nuclear tests. In contrast, Pervez Musharraf received a call and complied with the demands placed upon him.”
Asif gave examples of Pakistan holding its own despite international pressure, notably then-Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif refusing a $5 billion offer and going ahead with nuclear tests in 1998, as reported by The Express Tribune.
Adding fuel to fire, Rana Sanaullah, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs, dismissed any suggestion that Washington that Washington might pressure Pakistan to release Khan. He speculated that if the US did intervene, it could seek an exchange—for instance, releasing Imran Khan in exchange for Dr Aafia Siddiqui, a Pakistani neuroscientist serving a prison sentence in the US for terrorism-related offences.
In an appearance on ARY News’ ‘Khabar Muhammad Malick Ke Saath’, Sanaullah drew several parallels between Imran Khan and Donald Trump, stating both are “known for spreading falsehoods, mocking others, and attacking institutions.” He added, “[They] share traits like dishonesty, ridiculing others, and resorting to unlawful tactics to achieve their goals. Trump, for instance, gathered his supporters and stormed the White House.”
When asked about Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz’s congratulatory messages to the US President-elect, Sanaullah dismissed them as “merely a diplomatic gesture and formality.”
To be or not to be—Trump’s friend
The battles extended to social media as well. Former US ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad questioned how, with a Trump victory, General Asim Munir would justify Khan’s imprisonment.
“It is time to release Imran Khan and others who are being held without a fair judicial process,” Khalilzad wrote. In response, journalist Wajahat Kazmi labelled Khalilzad a “spokesperson for the Goldsmith family.”
Kazmi posted on X, “The spokesperson of the Goldsmith family is pleading with the newly elected US President Donald Trump to help in release of Imran Khan. From accusing the US of toppling Imran Khan’s government to seeking their help in Haqeeqi Azaadi of their leader is purely comical.”
Pakistani citizens joined in with their favourite tool: memes.
One X user shared a clip of Manoj Bajpayee running with a knife in hand from the movie Gangs of Wasseypur, captioning it: “Trump heading to adiyala to free imran khan after hearing he has won.”
Another shared a clip of a blank-faced Adele with the caption: “Donald Trump when Pakistanis tell him Imran khan is in jail.”
(Edited by Prashant)