Islamabad: Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan on Sunday asked overseas Pakistanis to stop sending remittances to the country.
His call for boycotting sending back foreign exchange comes as the ongoing talks between the government and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party faltered over his insistence that the government should set up two judicial commissions to probe the incidents of May 9, 2023, and Nov 26, 2024.
“Once again, I urge overseas Pakistanis to continue their boycott of foreign currency remittances,” Khan said in a post on X. “Sending money to this government strengthens the very hands that are tightening the noose around your necks,” he said.
Khan also called for nationwide demonstrations on Feb 8, which mark the first anniversary of a controversial election held last year, which the PTI alleged was rigged.
“Prepare to observe a nationwide ‘Black Day,’” read another post from Khan’s account. “People from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern Punjab should gather in Swabi for protests, while others must hold demonstrations in their respective cities,” it said.
Khan was ousted in April 2022 following a no-trust vote. Since then scores of cases have been registered against him. He was arrested in August last year and mostly held in the Adiala Jail Rawalpindi but he regularly issues messages on social media and also meets his sisters, party leaders and lawyers.
His party is popular among the expats and he had asked them in early December last year to stop sending remittances but it failed to move them and they continue to send money to their relatives back in Pakistan.
Remittances from overseas workers are considered crucial for Pakistan’s cash-strapped economy. The government has hoped for more than USD 35 billion in remittances during the current year ending on June 30.
