Anti-army stand? Imran Khan could face treason case, signals Pak govt

A week after the high-voltage face-off between the Pakistani establishment and supporters of former PM Imran Khan over alleged threats to his life, the civilian regime of PM Shehbaz Sharif has issued a fresh warning to the jailed leader. Senator and Sharif's advisor, Rana Sanaullah, on Monday said that treason cases against former premier Imran Khan could not be ruled out, according to reports.

Sanaullah warned other PTI leaders not to take his warning lightly, cautioning that doing so could lead to "serious consequences".

The warning from the government comes less than a week after the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry attacked Imran Khan for creating and spreading an "anti-army" narrative, adding that it created a "national security threat".

This comes even as tensions between the Asim Munir-led establishment and PTI supporters spiralled on Tuesday over letting the PTI founder's sisters meet him in Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail. Despite Tuesday being the court-mandated meeting day, the local police blocked all roads leading to the Adiala Jail, preventing Imran Khan's sisters from meeting him.

MUNIR-BACKED SHARIF GOVT WARNS IMRAN KHAN OF TREASON CHARGE

Speaking to a media outlet on Monday, Sanaullah said the message delivered by the ISPR DG during his press conference was "clear" and it was "fully endorsed" by the government of PM Sharif, reported Geo TV.

"We cannot rule out a treason case[s] being lodged against the PTI founder," said PML (N) leader and former interior minister Sanaullah said, during an interview.

He further alleged that the narrative used by the terrorists involved in the March hijacking of the Jaffer Express attack was amplified "simultaneously by Indian, Afghan, and PTI-linked media", accusing Imran Khan's party of fuelling national instability.

According to Sanaullah, a social media post by Imran Khan, posted after meeting his sister inside jail, made the situation "clear", with the government interpreting its tone as "inflammatory". Sanaullah added that statements made at PTI rallies would soon reach the concerned quarters, who would deliver a response with full force.

"These people are sealing their own fate by engaging in such actions," Sanaullah said, adding that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf was heading towards becoming "Adiala Tehreek-e-Insaf"

He mocked the party further, predicting that most PTI members would refuse to follow the current confrontational path of the party leadership.

GOVT'S TREASON WARNING TO IMRAN KHAN FOLLOWS ISPR'S 'THREAT' CHARGE

Rana Sanaullah's warning to Imran Khan and the PTI leadership comes days after DG ISPR Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry assailed the cricketer-turned politician, calling him a "threat to national security". Chaudhry, who heads the ISPR, the communication wing of the Pakistani armed forces, also warned that no one will be allowed to incite the public against the armed forces, reported Pakistani daily, The Express Tribune.

Chaudhry added that Khan's "anti-army" narratives had crossed all limits, adding that it posed a direct threat to Pakistan's national security.

He claimed that PTI's narrative was a "creeping national security threat" that the establishment deemed necessary to confront.

"Who are you? What message do you want to give? Who do you think you are?" quipped Chaudhry addressing Imran.

TENSIONS ON THE RISE IN PAKISTAN AS IMRAN KHAN VS MUNIR CONTINUES

As of December 2025, tensions in Pakistan have escalated sharply amid a deepening confrontation between jailed Imran Khan and Asim Munir, now elevated to Field Marshal and the combined chief of all defence forces with immunity.

From Adiala Jail, Khan had accused Munir of being a "mentally unstable" tyrant responsible for unprecedented repression, including killings and abuses. Khan declared that he would not negotiate with what he called the "Asim Law" regime. In response, the military branded Khan "mentally ill" and a national security threat.

Munir's controversial "constitutional coup", the 27th Amendment passed in November, cemented his lifelong rank, immunity, and sweeping authority over the armed forces while curbing judicial oversight. The changes constitutionally entrenched military dominance, which, so far, was just a norm.

Meanwhile, separatist and militant violence have surged in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunwa. Armed militants have intensified their attacks on the establishment.

Imran Khan has been held in Adiala Jail since August 2023, after his arrest in graft cases. He later received a 14-year sentence in January 2025 in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case, along with charges in the Cipher case for leaking state secrets.

Khan's bitter feud with Asim Munir dates back to 2019, when Khan removed him as ISI director after only eight months. The clash has since grown into open hostility.

Taken together, Munir's consolidation of power, rising insurgencies, and political polarisation are pushing Pakistan toward one of its most volatile periods in recent history.

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