US-based Pakistanis join PTI’s backchannel push for Imran’s relief

MAKKAH: A group of US-based Pakistani doctors and businessmen met a senior official in Islamabad and PTI founder Imran Khan in Adiala jail.

These interactions are part of the PTI and its sympathisers’ effort to seek some relief for Imran Khan. These backchannel efforts are in addition to the behind-the-scenes negotiations that were held between the PTI and the relevant quarters.

No progress has been made so far in any of these efforts amid expectations that the PTI’s backchannel talks with the establishment may resume.

Some PTI leaders who have been interacting with the establishment in the past are trying for the resumption of the backchannel talks. The military establishment has been consistently insisting that it would not talk to politicians and political parties and that it is for the political parties to discuss politics and related issues between them. Some PTI leaders have, however, talked of their backchannel interactions.

A source, who is aware of the recent interactions of US-based Pakistani doctors and businessmen with Imran Khan and a key official, said that breakthrough of such efforts depends on the behaviour of PTI social media and that of Imran Khan.

Imran Khan and PTI’s social media and its foreign chapters, particularly the PTIUS and PTIUK, have been consistently targeting the military’s top command. The party’s social media ran campaigns one after the other against the army and its command. Fake stories were spread whereas influential world capitals including Washington and London were approached to bring pressure on Islamabad and the GHQ for the release of Khan.

The PTI has also been active to derail IMF programme for Pakistan besides seeking sanctions for country’s military.

The PTI’s second tier leadership, which itself is holding party’s social media and its foreign chapters responsible for causing problems for the party and its top leadership, knows that the things may not improve for the party and its jailed leader until such time that the PTI social media and Imran Khan stop targeting the institution of army and its top command.

Now that a delegation of US-based Pakistani doctors and businessmen has met a key official and Imran Khan, it would be interesting to see whether Khan and the party social media show some restraint.

It is believed that the situation for the PTI and its top leadership can only improve if they stop negative politics, avoid targeting the institution of army and don’t hurt the economy. For the PTI and its sympathisers, the immediate concern is to get relief for Imran Khan.