As the talks proceed in fits and starts, Federal Minister for Development Ahsan Iqbal has said PTI founding chairman Imran Khan was imprisoned because he failed to provide satisfactory documentation regarding corruption allegations.
The minister said if the incarcerated leader can convincingly explain the "theft" of Rs50 billion – the £190 million case – the former prime minister will be released.
Speaking to the media in Narowal on Sunday, Ahsan Iqbal said that the government was engaging in negotiations with seriousness and sincerity. However, the success of the dialogue hinged on the demands presented by PTI.
"If demands are made that the government can reasonably fulfil, we will certainly address them. But Imran Khan's imprisonment is not politically motivated," he said.
The minister reiterated that Imran remains incarcerated due to failure to provide genuine receipts to justify financial transactions. "The same man who once demanded receipts from others could not produce legitimate documentation himself. All his receipts turned out to be bogus."
He stressed that Imran Khan must explain why £190 million – equivalent to Rs50 billion – was deposited into the account of a close associate rather than the national treasury. "If he can provide satisfactory answers and legitimate documentation, he will be released.
However, if he fails to justify the misappropriation of these funds, he will have to face legal consequences," the minister warned.
Ahsan Iqbal said that those in custody under trial courts can only secure freedom through the judiciary.
Commenting on the military trials and convictions of May 9 rioters, he noted some detainees facing military trials were under the jurisdiction of military courts, adding that recently, a few sentences have been pardoned by the army chief.
Referring to attacks on military installations on May 9 2023, Iqbal stressed that such actions constitute serious crimes. "Neither the United States nor the United Kingdom would pardon individuals involved in such heinous acts," he asserted.
The federal minister said no democracy in the world granted political activists a license to attack their country's military installations and later seek clemency under the guise of political protest.
The PTI founder was taken into custody by the paramilitary Rangers from the Islamabad High Court premises on May 9, 2022.
Imran Khan's arrest sparked countrywide protest with supporters allegedly belonging to the PTI attacked GHQ, Jinnah House and government and military installations.
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