ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs, Rana Sanaullah, stated on Thursday that a recent meeting between former prime minister Imran Khan and his sister, Uzma Khanum, was facilitated with a clear understanding that no “anti-army and provocative messaging” would follow. However, it was violated.
While talking to The News, Rana Sanaullah expressed regret that despite the government’s facilitation to dispel speculation about Imran Khan’s wellbeing, Khan’s sister Uzma Khanum used the opportunity to propagate “derogatory remarks against the Field Marshal” after the meeting. He asserted that there is now “zero tolerance” for any such messaging originating from Adiala jail.
Sources revealed that Rana Sanaullah, along with National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq and Law Minister Azam Nazir Tarar, had previously urged the prime minister to permit the meeting. The objective, they stated, was to allow Khan’s family to personally verify his condition and quell widespread rumours regarding his health.
“The government had information that anti-army messaging from Adiala jail is being done with a clear design,” Sanaullah said, explaining that the meeting was still allowed on the condition it would not be politicised. He lamented that the facility was exploited for “provocative and unacceptable” messaging.
In related developments, Sanaullah disclosed that the denial of meeting request from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was based on intelligence reports. He alleged that Imran Khan wanted to orchestrate another event similar to the November 26 protests in Islamabad on the same date this year, and that Afridi’s appointment as chief minister was part of this plan -- a plot he claimed has been foiled.
On November 26, 2024, thousands of supporters of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party marched into Islamabad to protest the government and demand the release of Imran Khan from jail. The protest, which violated a government-imposed ban on gatherings (Section 144), led to significant clashes with police and paramilitary forces who used shipping containers, tear gas, and rubber bullets to block access to the city’s sensitive Red Zone. The PTI initially claimed that hundreds of its workers were killed but later announced that the figure was around 13.
The government, however, denied these claims but resolved no such march on Islamabad would be allowed in future. Against the advice of several PTI leaders, it was Bushra Bibi who had led the march to Islamabad. The PTI leaders wanted to stop the march at Sangjani, in the suburbs of Islamabad, but Khan’s wife was adamant to lead the protesters to D-Chowk, Islamabad.
On the prospect of dialogue with the PTI, the PM’s adviser struck a firm stance. He stated that political engagement now seems impossible unless Imran Khan offers a public apology for the events of May 9 and for his statements against the army and its chief.
Sanaullah recalled that the government had previously extended sincere offers for talks, but Imran Khan remained a “major hurdle.” He cited an instance where preliminary talks were spoiled after Khan insisted on the formation of a commission headed by former Justice Mansoor Ali Shah to investigate the May 9 and November 26 incidents.
The adviser’s comments underscore the government’s hardening position towards the PTI leadership, linking any future political reconciliation to unequivocal apologies and a halt to criticism of state institutions.
