Will Pak army blink? Buzz of ex-PM Imran Khan's release on June 11

A claim by a top leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) about jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's likely release hints that Army Chief Asim Munir may have finally flinched. Gohar Ali Khan, the chief of Khan's PTI, claimed that the former prime minister, who has been incarcerated since August 2023, is likely to be granted bail on June 11, reported news agency PTI.

This assertion by Gohar Ali Khan comes just days after Imran Khan appointed himself patron-in-chief of the PTI, even as he announced the planned nationwide protests which he vowed to lead from behind bars. Gohar's claim also follows reports of behind-the-curtain negotiations for Khan’s release, claims the former PM has firmly refuted.

Faced with swelling public support and Imran Khan's decision to steer nationwide protests from his prison cell, Army Chief Asim Munir, already on the back foot after India's Operation Sindoor, may have felt the pressure, prompting what may be seen as a quiet retreat from his arch-nemesis.

IMRAN KHAN'S HIGH-STAKES BAIL PLEA HEARING ON JUNE 11

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) is scheduled to hear the petitions seeking suspension of sentences of Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the GBP 190 million Al-Qadir Trust case on June 11, a day that PTI chief Gohar Ali Khan has described as key for the couple.

Though Khan offered no specifics, June 11 would be an important day for both Khan and his wife, Gohar Ali Khan claimed, according to a report in the Karachi-based ARY News.

Gohar added that no compromises will be struck for Imran Khan's freedom, according to news agency PTI.

The Islamabad High Court had previously postponed the hearing of petitions in the Al-Qadir Trust case to June 11.

Seventy-two-year-old Khan, facing multiple cases, has been held at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail since August 2023, a detention he calls illegal. In response, the PTI has launched numerous protests, including the siege of Islamabad in November 2024, demanding his release.

Bushra Bibi, wife of Khan, was jailed for 14 years in January 2024 after being convicted in the Toshakhana case for illegally retaining and selling state gifts.

Khan's defiant stand against the Munir-led army stems from his ongoing feud with the latter, whom he accuses of orchestrating his ouster and subsequent imprisonment. Khan has also alleged Munir's personal involvement in the 14-month incarceration of his wife, Bushra Bibi, describing it as an act of vengeance, saying, "It is Asim Munir's vindictive nature that is behind Bushra Bibi's unjust incarceration and deplorable inhumane treatment in prison (sic)."

Gohar Ali Khan's claim that Khan is likely to secure bail on June 11 in the Al-Qadir Trust case follows Khan's announcement last week, where he declared himself patron-in-chief of PTI and vowed to lead a nationwide protest movement from prison. Gohar's statement also comes after Khan directed his party to prepare for a mass movement across Pakistan against the military and government, whom the cricketer-turned-politician has termed as "mandate thieves".

PAK MILITARY UNDER PRESSURE POST-OPERATION SINDOOR

The Pakistani Army under Asim Munir, already grappling with domestic unrest, is facing heightened scrutiny following India's Operation Sindoor, a retaliatory strike against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

The operation, launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, exposed vulnerabilities in Pakistan's military strategy and dented Munir's public image.

Following this, Munir was elevated to Field Marshal, a move seen by many as an act of face-saving and self-congratulation.

Gohar Ali Khan's claim about Khan's impending release could signal a retreat by Munir, or just another move in the military's political chessboard. But in Pakistan, a land of contradictions, nothing is certain until June 11 actually dawns.

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