Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s Message from Adiala Jail - March 25, 2025
Pakistan's challenges can only be resolved through genuinely elected public representatives. Instead of repeating the mistakes of 1971 that divided the nation, work towards uniting it!
How can an illegitimate government imposed on Balochistan possibly resolve any issues? As a Pakistani and a former Prime Minister, I am deeply concerned about the ongoing situation in Balochistan marked by sharp rise in terrorism. The firing of live ammunition on peaceful protesters, state violence and unlawful arrests are equally deeply troubling. It is the fundamental duty of the state to address the grievances of the people of Balochistan. The situation in Balochistan cannot improve unless the genuine public representatives are brought into mainstream, their voices are sincerely heard, and the fate of the region is decided in accordance with the will of the people. Sheer force can never resolve this issue. It would rather deepen crisis and fuel further instability.
The puppet government imposed through fraudulent elections (Form 47), has failed on all fronts, with its foreign policy being complete disaster. We can address terrorism by engaging in dialogue with Afghanistan. We share a 2,200-kilometer border with Afghanistan, and peaceful negotiations are the only way forward. During our tenure, despite strained relations with the Afghan government at the time, we engaged in direct talks with them. The policies we implemented over three years successfully eliminated terrorism. However, after our tenure, the adoption of Biden's policy led to numerous issues, and today, the public is bearing the consequences in the form of increased terrorism.
The current government's lack of seriousness is evident from the fact that neither during the PDM regime nor under the present administration has the Foreign Minister visited Afghanistan or undertaken any serious diplomatic initiatives.
The 26th Constitutional Amendment has led to the complete deterioration of our judicial system. My pre-arrest bail hearing in the fabricated May 9th (2023) cases was scheduled after months of delay, but the Lahore High Court bench was dissolved to further delay the process. Similarly, the Toshakhana case where my trial is being conducted within the jail premises has been arbitrarily halted without explanation. Previously, the verdict in the Al-Qadir Trust case was deliberately delayed so that my case could be presented before handpicked judges in the Islamabad High Court following court packing. After extensive legal efforts, when my appeal was finally scheduled for hearing, objections were raised, further, delaying the matter until after Eid.
This clearly proves that the imposed government's primary goal is to keep me in jail at all costs, as my cases have no legal standing and will be overruled whenever they are heard on merits. This is a fixed match being played under a well-orchestrated plan.
Instead of focusing on their constitutional responsibilities, the institutions are hyper fixated on cracking down on PTI and controlling the media, prisons, and courts. Adiala Jail is also being run by a Colonel. What authority does a Colonel have to control a jail?
This week, my sisters were also denied a meeting with me. Despite multiple court orders, I am barred from meeting friends, speaking to my children on the phone, or accessing my diary and books. In six months, I had just one meeting with my political colleagues, scheduled entirely at the discretion of jail authorities. They continue to impose one restriction after another.
No matter how hard they try, I have never bowed to their fascism, and I never will!
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