Archive · 15 Aug 2026
Pakistan's military chief caught between holding and freeing Imran Khan
Imran Khan used to be a famous cricket player.
Later he became the Prime Minister, which is the top leader, of Pakistan.
Now he is in jail.
His supporters are upset because nobody has seen him for eight months, and his lawyers cannot visit him.
The army's top general, Asim Munir, is the one who decides what happens in Pakistan.
He is stuck: many people like Imran Khan, so letting him go might make the army look weak.
But keeping him in jail makes people angry.
The government says Imran Khan broke rules about gifts, money, and secrets, and he has more than 150 cases in court.
The writer thinks the real problem is the whole system of power in Pakistan.
He also says Pakistan owes a huge amount of money, so things could get worse before they get better.
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan remains in Adiala jail, unseen for eight months and without real access to his lawyers since December, according to the article.
General Asim Munir, Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces, is depicted as the leader behind Khan's detention, which the article calls 'difficult to defend.'
Khan faces roughly 150 cases, spanning the Toshakhana, the Al-Qadir Trust (about PKR 50 billion), leaking official secrets, a marriage-rule case involving third wife Bushra Bibi, and incitement to terrorism.
The piece traces Khan's fall to his Moscow visit on the day Russia invaded Ukraine, a US-supported no-confidence vote in 2022, and street protests against the army after his second arrest.
The article cites unrest in Balochistan and the roughing-up of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister, in a PTI stronghold, alongside a PKR 83 trillion federal debt as signs the standoff is unsustainable.
- Who
- General Asim Munir, Pakistan's Chief of Defence Forces; imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan; Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi.
- What
- Khan's continued detention at Adiala jail on roughly 150 cases, with the author arguing the military-led establishment is using the courts to silence an elected leader.
- When
- At the time of writing, Khan has been unseen for eight months and without lawyer access since December; his removal via a no-confidence vote came in 2022 after a 13-hour debate.
- Where
- Pakistan, primarily Adiala jail where Khan is held; the article also cites unrest in Balochistan, tribal areas, PoK and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
- Why
- The author argues Khan's ego, his Moscow visit on the day Russia invaded Ukraine, a US-backed no-confidence motion, and anti-army protests after his second arrest led to his downfall, and warns the system and Pakistan's debt make the standoff unsustainable.
Critics of the military establishment
Pakistan's military-led establishment
Detention of Imran Khan
Critics of the military establishment
Holding an elected prime minister for months without lawyer access is politically motivated and indefensible; his charges seem petty compared with corruption endemic to Pakistan.
Pakistan's military-led establishment
Courts have approved serious charges, including Toshakhana theft, diverting PKR 50 billion in the Al-Qadir Trust case, leaking official secrets and incitement to terrorism.
Causes of Khan's 2022 ouster
Critics of the military establishment
The US and the army engineered his removal; the US ambassador was 'virtually told' Imran had to go, and Khan waved the cable to prove the US hand in the no-confidence motion.
Pakistan's military-led establishment
Khan's own mistakes, including visiting Moscow on the day Russia invaded Ukraine and showing excitement, defied the army's wishes and enraged the US.
Was Khan a victim or a flawed leader?
Critics of the military establishment
Khan has solid welfare credentials, such as hospitals and universities, and is 'hardly... a person for graft.'
Pakistan's military-led establishment
Khan was a 'selected' prime minister who connived at imprisoning Nawaz Sharif on shaky corruption cases, so he deserves limited sympathy.
- Detained leader
- Imran Khan, former Prime Minister of Pakistan
- Place of detention
- Adiala jail
- Time unseen
- 8 months
- Lawyer access
- None since December
- Number of cases
- Approximately 150
- Al-Qadir Trust amount
- About PKR 50 billion
- Sentences cited
- 10 years for leaking official secrets; death penalty for incitement to terrorism
- Federal debt
- PKR 83 trillion, excluding loans from the IMF and some bilateral creditors
- Also imprisoned
- Former ISI chief Lt Gen Faiz Hameed
- Khan's welfare work
- Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital, Namal University, Imran Khan Foundation, worldwide cancer appeal