Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former prime minister Imran Khan has requested to be released on parole to help mediate tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, his sister Noreen Khan said on Wednesday.
Speaking to the media after she met the ex-premier at Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, Noreen said that the PTI founder was hurt by the recent border clashes between forces from Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The 71-year-old cricketer-turned-politician has been behind bars since August 2023 — and faces a plethora of cases ranging from corruption to terrorism.
His offer comes as Pakistani forces have repelled multiple attacks from Afghan forces and their affiliated militant groups in recent days.
Pakistani forces began their retaliatory strikes inside Afghanistan last week after Afghan forces resorted to unprovoked firing along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
The unlawful and aggressive actions by Afghan forces resulted in the martyrdom of multiple Pakistani soldiers, while Pakistani Armed Forces — in their retaliatory actions — have eliminated over 200 militants.
Pakistan’s intense and befitting response ended temporarily after the Afghan Taliban regime requested a ceasefire, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Mofa) said earlier today.
The Foreign Office said that Pakistan agreed to a temporary 48-hour ceasefire, which took effect from 6pm this evening.
In her media talk, Khan’s sister said that the PTI founder offered to sort out the country’s issues with Afghanistan if he was released on parole.
“Imran Khan was hurt by the situation with Afghanistan,” she said, adding that the former premier urged negotiations between the two neighbouring countries to resolve their issues.
Noreen said that the PTI founder was also saddened by the way Afghan nationals were expelled from Pakistan.
This is a developing story and is being updated with new details.
