Imran Khan says not having good ties with army would be a folly

ISLAMABAD: The incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, Imran Khan, who blames the military for his ouster and 12-month-old imprisonment on what he calls trumped-up charges, has now said that not having "excellent" relations with the army would be a folly.

"Given Pakistan's geographical position and the military's significant role in the private sector, it would be foolish not to foster such a relationship," Khan wrote in responses to Reuters' questions. 

The development comes ahead of the anniversary of his jailing on dozens of charges ranging from corruption to leaking state secrets tomorrow (Monday).

The deposed prime minister also stated in replies relayed by his media and legal team that he held no grudges against the United States, whom he has also blamed for his 2022 ouster from office.

"We are proud of our soldiers and armed forces," he said.

Khan said his criticisms since his ouster had been directed at individuals, not the military as an institution.

"The miscalculations of the military leadership shouldn't be held against the institution as a whole."

On Wednesday, Khan offered to hold "conditional negotiations" with the military — if "clean and transparent" elections were held and the "bogus" cases against his supporters were dropped.

Army and government did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Khan's remarks to Reuters. They have both repeatedly denied his assertions.

The United States denies any role in his ouster.

In his replies, the 71-year-old former cricket star did not specify what he wanted to discuss with the military.

'Open to any dialogue' with army

Khan, who lost power in a parliamentary vote of no confidence, accuses the army of backing what he calls the politically motivated cases against him, which the military has denied.

Still, he said, there would be "no harm" in engaging with the establishment if he were to be released from jail and seek to return to power.

"We are open to any dialogue that could help improve the dire situation in Pakistan," he said, adding that it was useless to open any such talks with the coalition government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which he says does not enjoy public backing because he claims it won a stolen election in February.

Rather, Khan said, it would be "more productive to engage with those who actually wield power".

Khan's imprisonment has added to the political volatility in the country, which has experienced a prolonged economic crisis and last month received a bailout from the International Monetary Fund.

The political instability since Khan's ouster from power helped force Islamabad to accept the IMF's painful fiscal consolidation requirements, which have burdened the people with heavy taxes, analysts say.

The IMF has called for political stability to help put the $350 billion economy on a recovery path.

The former premier has rejected the idea of reaching an out-of-court settlement with the government or military, unless they accepted that his PTI party had won a majority in February's election.

"The elections were the most rigged in Pakistan's history," Khan told Reuters.