Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan — who remains incarcerated at the Adiala jail — has shared his thoughts in a message for his party workers and supporters from the prison, saying that he is “stronger and fitter than ever”.
The message shared on October 10, was conveyed through Khan’s family on his official account on X, the microblogging site formerly known as Twitter, today (Thursday).
The deposed prime minister was initially arrested in a graft case on August 5 and ever since he has been imprisoned, earlier at the Attock Jail and currently at Adiala Jail.
Khan said in the message that the first few days in the prison were “particularly challenging” as there was no bed for him to sleep in the “insects and mosquitoes” infested cell he was kept in. However, he said, he has adjusted to the prison conditions.
“Let it be known that there’s a difference of day and night between the Imran Khan of today and the Imran Khan who was imprisoned on August 5. Today I am stronger and fitter; spiritually, mentally and physically, than ever before,” he said.
The former PM further said that he had the opportunity to “introspect” the last few years of his political life during his time in incarceration, besides an in-depth study of the Holy Quran along with other books.
“Regardless of what prison they keep me in, whatever conditions they impose upon me, I will not back down even an inch from the quest of Haqeeqi Azadi, for the upholding of the rule of law and the Constitution of Pakistan, at the core of which is free and fair elections. To those suggesting that I leave the country, know that I will live and die with Pakistan, and I will not leave my land to go anywhere,” he added.
Discussing the cipher case, in which he is currently being tried, Khan said that the case was “designed to protect former Army Chief General Bajwa and Donald Lu [Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia Affairs]”.
It may be noted that the former prime minister has been claiming a “regime change” conspiracy backed by the United States to be behind the toppling of his government since 2022, the year he was ousted via a vote of no-confidence.
The controversy first emerged on March 27, 2022, when Khan — less than a month before his ouster in April last year — while addressing a public rally waved a letter before the crowd, claiming that it was a cipher from a foreign nation that had conspired with his political rivals to have PTI government overthrown.
He did not reveal the contents of the letter nor did he mention the name of the nation it came from. But a few days later, he accused the United States of conspiring against him and alleged that Donald Lu had sought his removal.
