ISLAMABAD: The chairman of former prime minister Imran Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Gohar Ali Khan, said on Thursday he had met with the Pakistan army chief, General Syed Asim Munir, capping nearly two years of the party’s unprecedented campaign of defiance against the all-powerful military.
Khan fell out with the military’s top leaders in the lead-up to his ouster from the PM’s office in a parliamentary no-trust vote in April 2022, and his party has since led large street movements, railing against the generals’ iron grip on politics and even blaming senior military officials for an assassination bid on Khan in November 2022. The army denies the allegations.
Tensions between the PTI and the army have remained at fever-pitch especially after Khan’s brief arrest on May 9, 2023, in a land graft case that sparked countrywide protests, with PTI supporters attacking and ransacking military installations in an unprecedented backlash against the army. The military has called the day of the protests a “Black Day” and vowed to punish those involved. Since then, at least 5,000 of Khan’s supporters have been arrested, and dozens of his top party leaders have defected after they faced increasing pressure from the military establishment to do so, according to his supporters. The army denies interfering in politics.
In various press conferences, the military has denied any contact with the PTI and said that it would not talk to the masterminds of the May 9 protests. But Pakistani media has recently widely reported on a meeting this Monday between Army Chief Munir and PTI leaders Gohar and Ali Amin Gandapur, the chief minister of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the PTI has been in power since 2013.
“Yes, I [Gohar Ali Khan] did meet him [army chief],” Gohar told reporters on Wednesday after he met with Khan at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail where the PTI founder has been in prison since 2023. “See, wherever and for whatever reason I hold meetings, I talk about it only after I have instructions from Khan,” Gohar added, justifying his earlier denial of the meeting with Munir.
He said Khan had described the development as “very welcoming” and said negotiations were “important for the country’s stability.”
“Our doors were always open for negotiations, other people’s doors were closed,” Gohar said, quoting Khan from their meeting. “If negotiations go ahead, it will bring stability in the country.”
The PTI chairman’s disclosure comes as a government negotiation committee and the PTI held a third round of talks on Thursday afternoon in which the party presented its two main demands in writing: the release of all political prisoners and the establishment of judicial commissions to investigate protests led by the PTI on May 9, 2023, and Nov. 26, 2024, in which its supporters are accused of violence and arson.
The first round of talks took place on Dec. 23 and the second on Jan. 2.
The talks opened last month as Khan had threatened a civil disobedience movement and amid growing concerns he could face trial by a military court for allegedly inciting attacks on sensitive security installations during the May 9 protests.
Khan’s ouster in 2022 has since plunged the country into a long-term political crisis, particularly since the PTI founder was jailed in August last year on corruption and other charges and remains behind bars. Khan and the PTI say the charges are trumped up to keep them out of power.
Imran Khan’s party chairman confirms first official meeting with Pakistan army chief
https://arab.news/yxy7j
Imran Khan’s party chairman confirms first official meeting with Pakistan army chief
- Meeting caps nearly two years of the PTI’s unprecedented campaign of defiance against the all-powerful military
- Tensions between PTI and the army have remained at fever-pitch since Khan was ousted from PM’s office in April 2022
Ex-Pakistan spy chief’s conviction signals tougher days ahead for Imran Khan — analysts
- Ex-ISI director-general sentenced to 14 years for political interference, misuse of authority
- Hameed also investigated over his alleged role in May 9, 2023 nationwide unrest
ISLAMABAD: The recent conviction of former Pakistan spy chief Lt. General Faiz Hameed signals tougher days ahead for former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), political and security analysts said Friday.
A military court on Thursday sentenced Hameed to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment after finding him guilty of engaging in political activities, violating the Official Secrets Act and misusing authority and government resources.
One of the most influential officers of his generation, Hameed served as director-general of Pakistan’s powerful Inter-Services Intelligence agency ISI from 2019 to 2021. He was widely seen as close to former prime minister Khan, who has been jailed since August 2023 on corruption charges that he says are politically motivated.
Dr. Ayesha Siddiqa, a security analyst who has written extensively on military affairs, told Arab News that, “Further punishments could be imposed on Faiz Hameed and Imran Khan.”
“They may face stricter measures,” she added.
Senator Faisal Vawda, a former federal minister, believes ex-spy chief Hameed would provide evidence against Khan in cases linked to the May 2023 unrest.
“Fourteen years’ imprisonment … this is the beginning … Hamid in his trial is giving evidence and testimony against Khan sahab/jadoogar and others in connection with May 9 events,” Vawda wrote on X on Dec. 11, 2025.
Dr. Siddiqa further adds that a recent press conference by Pakistan’s military spokesperson, in which he lashed out at Khan, suggested that a “further tightening of the PTI” would follow in the days ahead.
On Dec. 5, 2025, Pakistan’s military spokesperson, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, accused Khan of spreading an “anti-army” narrative, saying his rhetoric had moved beyond normal politics and posed a “national security threat.”
Hammed is accused of instigating attacks on government and military installations during nationwide unrest on May 9, 2023.
Protests erupted across Pakistan on May 9, 2023, following Khan’s arrest, with demonstrators from his party and supporters damaging military and government property. Khan and his political party PTI deny they instructed supporters to resort to violence.
Pakistan’s military said in August 2023 that it was separately examining Hameed’s alleged role in “fomenting vested political agitation and instability in cahoots with political elements.”
Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Tariq Fazal Chaudhry told reporters at a press conference Friday that the conviction would have “far-reaching political consequences” in the days ahead.
“This verdict ensures that no one will dare in future to repeat such political engineering or such unconstitutional abuse of authority,” Chaudhry said.
He added that Hameed’s conviction had reinforced public trust in the military’s accountability process.
PTI’s Secretary Information Sheikh Waqas told Arab News that Hameed’s conviction was “an internal matter of the military institution.”
“If and when the detailed verdict is made public and contains any reference, only then can a comment be considered,” he said.
Dr. Siddiqa, however, questioned the impartiality of the verdict, saying it did not reflect a “broader pattern” of reform within the military.
“Corruption has occurred before, political involvement has taken place and occasional punishments have been meted out,” she said. “This is not the first punishment, nor does it indicate a pattern.”
She added, “The answer is no — this is selective justice.”
Journalist and political analyst Muneeb Farooq said the verdict was significant and “no joke,” adding that the current military leadership is “inexplicably hard and strict in every way.”
“It’s a move to punish the evil,” he said. “That’s how the current military leadership sees it.”
Lahore-based political analyst Salman Ghani said Hameed’s conviction is alarming for “corrupt elements” and those who once wielded influence in Pakistan.
However, he questioned why accountability had not extended to then-army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who has also been accused by the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party, along with Hameed, of engineering the ouster of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
“Did he not have the support and approval of the army chief of the time for the actions he carried out?” Ghani asked.
