Lahore: Pakistan's jailed former prime minister Imran Khan has said he is not Nawaz Sharif and that he would strike a deal with the military establishment to come out of prison.
Sharif, the three-time former prime minister, left Pakistan in self-imposed exile twice in past -- first after striking a deal with then-military ruler Gen Pervez Musharraf in early 2000, and with then Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in 2019.
"I want to make it clear that no matter what tactics are used, I will not make any deal. I am not Nawaz Sharif who seeks to get his billions made through corruption forgiven. I have lived in and will die in Pakistan... I will always stand for my nation," Khan said in a post on X on Wednesday.
Khan's remarks came amid the ongoing talks between his Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) party and the military-backed Shehbaz Sharif government, wherein it is speculated that he may come out of jail in the wake of the success of the talks. Shehbaz Sharif is the younger brother of Nawaz Sharif.
Lambasting the military establishment and the government for the "inhuman" treatment of his incarcerated party workers, Khan said he would take the matter to international fora.
"Political prisoners in Pakistan are being treated inhumanely. Our workers in military custody have been subjected to severe mental and physical torture. I, too, have been subjected to extremely poor treatment. Several workers, including Sami Wazir, have faced brutal torture.
"We demand that human rights organisations take action against these violations of law and human rights. We have filed petitions in the Supreme Court, Lahore High Court, and Islamabad High Court, but have not been granted a hearing," Khan claimed, adding that PTI now has no option but to raise voices on international platforms.
"I will write to global human rights organisations to ensure that these innocent citizens are heard. I also urge overseas Pakistanis to raise their voices in this regard. In the process of crushing PTI, the entire system has been violated," he added.
Talking about Pakistan's economic woes, Khan said, "The country's economy is at its worst. Foreign investment is at a historic low. The SIFC and Uraan programmes have failed miserably. Unemployment is rising due to stagnant growth rates."
Khan added that brilliant minds and investments are rapidly leaving the country because no one trusts the nations' stability anymore. Pakistani companies are moving their businesses to Dubai. The PTI chief also said that no economic stability can ever be achieved in a country where rule of law does not exist.
"Pakistan is buried under an economic crisis. There is no solution to this problem except for a government that enjoys public confidence," he said. Khan has been in jail since August 2023 in multiple cases.
