ISLAMABAD: Rana Sanaullah, a senior leader of the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party, acknowledged on Tuesday former Prime Minister Imran Khan might be released from prison on June 27, though he said the government could frame new charges against him to keep him behind bars for “as long as possible.”
Khan became tangled in a slew of legal cases, a frequent hazard for opposition figures in Pakistan, since his ouster from power in a no-confidence vote in April 2022. He was arrested from his residence in Lahore last August and faced prison trials on a number of charges, ranging from terrorism to divulging state secrets.
Khan has been granted relief from the judiciary in most of the cases. However, he remains incarcerated on charges of contracting an illegal marriage after his wife, Bushra Bibi, was accused of not completing the waiting period mandated by Islam, called “Iddat,” following her divorce from her previous husband and before marrying Khan.
A local court is scheduled to announce its verdict in the case on June 27, which could go in Khan’s favor.
“Imran Khan’s main agenda is to destabilize the country and spread chaos and anarchy in the country that’s why the government will certainly try to keep him behind bars as long as possible,” Sanaullah, who is Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s adviser on political and public affairs, said during an interview with Geo News TV.
He said Khan’s release would not “lead to a storm,” but he should “act like a politician,” engage in talks and move forward with democracy.
He said without a change in his approach, it would be better for the country for him to stay in prison.
The PML-N leader maintained the government did not want to keep anyone in jail “forcefully,” adding that all measures would be taken in line with Pakistan’s constitution and law.
Khan has frequently claimed that all cases against him are politically motivated and described them as an attempt to keep him away from the country’s political arena.
