Rana Sanaullah, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs, has dismissed claims that the United States is pressuring Pakistan for the release of Imran Khan, the founding chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), calling it a “baseless assumption.” He further suggested that if the US were interested in such a move, it could negotiate for Imran’s release in exchange for Dr. Aafia Siddiqui.
In an interview, Sanaullah remarked that if Imran were to leave Pakistan, his political career would come to an end, and his party would disband. He also mentioned that, in his personal view, if US President-elect Donald Trump were to request Imran’s release once in office, it should be considered. He compared the situation to the US pressure for the release of Dr. Shakeel Afridi, a Pakistani doctor who helped the US locate Osama bin Laden, which the Pakistani government resisted.
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Sanaullah also noted that Pakistan could not afford to hold another general election within the next three to six months.
The speculation about Imran’s potential release comes amid comments from PTI’s Zulfi Bukhari, who revealed plans to discuss Imran Khan’s legal situation with Donald Trump and his team. Bukhari, a close ally of Imran, shared that he is in contact with Trump’s family members, including Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner. He intends to raise Imran’s case and broader issues related to human rights, democratic values, and rule of law in Pakistan once Trump takes office. Bukhari suggested that Trump has previously expressed concern about Khan’s legal challenges, potentially positioning him as an ally for PTI’s cause.
In response to these developments, Pakistan’s Foreign Office spokesperson, Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, emphasized that bilateral relations with the United States would continue based on mutual respect, confidence, and non-interference in each other’s domestic affairs. She dismissed the speculation as unfounded.
Federal Defence Minister Khawaja Asif also expressed doubts about US support for Imran Khan’s release, pointing out that the US has its own “establishment” and that Pakistan will maintain cooperative relations with the US where interests align but remain firm on contentious issues.
