Jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has ruled out any negotiations with Pakistan’s civilian government, declaring that only talks with the country’s military establishment are meaningful. In a post on X, Khan said, “Engaging in any talks with the puppet Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government is pointless. This illegitimate Form-47 installed government has already wasted two months. Its only objective is to cling to false authority. It holds no real power.”Khan, who has been behind bars since August 2023 in multiple cases following the collapse of his government in April 2022, stressed that negotiations would only be held with those who actually “hold power”, the military establishment, and only in the national interest.“I do not fear hardship as my resolve remains strong,” he said, while alleging that political cases, abductions, and forced press conferences were being used to dismantle his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party. “All prove that the rule of law has been entirely dismantled. What we now have is the law of the jungle,” he added.Reiterating his stance from earlier this week, Khan stated that May 9, 2023, the day of violent protests after his arrest, was a “false flag operation” designed to crush PTI. “No CCTV footage has been presented to this day… The truth will be evident to all if the CCTV footage of that day is made public,” he added, as reported by news agency PTI.In a separate post, Khan also dismissed media reports suggesting that a deal was in the works with the military. “No one has approached me for any negotiations. News claiming otherwise is entirely false,” he said, adding that despite harsh jail conditions, including denial of access to his children and physician, he remains steadfast.He recently took a swipe at Army chief General Asim Munir’s promotion to Field Marshal, saying “it might have been more fitting to give him the title of ‘King’ instead, because right now, the country is ruled by the law of the jungle. And in the jungle, there is only one king,” as per PTI.Meanwhile, the Punjab government said Khan has refused to undergo polygraph and voice analysis tests in 12 terrorism cases linked to the May 9 riots for the third consecutive time. Pakistani Punjab’s information minister Azma Bokhari accused Khan of defying court orders, saying he made repeated excuses to avoid the tests. “He must understand this is Adiala Jail, not his Bani Gala residence,” she said.The trial in the GHQ attack case, which was last heard in February, has been adjourned again until May 29. Separately, the hearing in the Toshakhana-II case was postponed to May 26.Khan’s party has also urged the Islamabad High Court to speed up hearings in the Al-Qadir Trust case involving Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi. Protests continue outside the court, with party members demanding Khan’s release and denouncing what they call “unjust incarceration.”
