Will Pak army blink? Buzz of ex-PM Imran Khan's release on June 11
A claim by a top leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) about jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan's likely release hints that Army Chief Asim Munir may have finally flinched. Gohar Ali Khan, the chief of Khan's PTI, claimed that the former prime minister, who has been incarcerated since August 2023, is likely to be granted bail on June 11, reported news agency PTI.advertisementThis assertion by Gohar Ali Khan comes just days after Imran Khan appointed himself patron-in-chief of the PTI, even as he announced the planned nationwide protests which he vowed to lead from behind bars. Gohar's claim also follows reports of behind-the-curtain negotiations for Khan's release, claims the former PM has firmly refuted.Faced with swelling public support and Imran Khan's decision to steer nationwide protests from his prison cell, Army Chief Asim Munir, already on the back foot after India's Operation Sindoor, may have felt the pressure, prompting what may be seen as a quiet retreat from his arch-nemesis.IMRAN KHAN'S HIGH-STAKES BAIL PLEA HEARING ON JUNE 11
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) is scheduled to hear the petitions seeking suspension of sentences of Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the GBP 190 million Al-Qadir Trust case on June 11, a day that PTI chief Gohar Ali Khan has described as key for the couple.advertisementThough Khan offered no specifics, June 11 would be an important day for both Khan and his wife, Gohar Ali Khan claimed, according to a report in the Karachi-based ARY News.Gohar added that no compromises will be struck for Imran Khan's freedom, according to news agency PTI.The Islamabad High Court had previously postponed the hearing of petitions in the Al-Qadir Trust case to June 11.Seventy-two-year-old Khan, facing multiple cases, has been held at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail since August 2023, a detention he calls illegal. In response, the PTI has launched numerous protests, including the siege of Islamabad in November 2024, demanding his release.Bushra Bibi, wife of Khan, was jailed for 14 years in January 2024 after being convicted in the Toshakhana case for illegally retaining and selling state gifts.Khan's defiant stand against the Munir-led army stems from his ongoing feud with the latter, whom he accuses of orchestrating his ouster and subsequent imprisonment. Khan has also alleged Munir's personal involvement in the 14-month incarceration of his wife, Bushra Bibi, describing it as an act of vengeance, saying, "It is Asim Munir's vindictive nature that is behind Bushra Bibi's unjust incarceration and deplorable inhumane treatment in prison (sic)."advertisementGohar Ali Khan's claim that Khan is likely to secure bail on June 11 in the Al-Qadir Trust case follows Khan's announcement last week, where he declared himself patron-in-chief of PTI and vowed to lead a nationwide protest movement from prison. Gohar's statement also comes after Khan directed his party to prepare for a mass movement across Pakistan against the military and government, whom the cricketer-turned-politician has termed as "mandate thieves".PAK MILITARY UNDER PRESSURE POST-OPERATION SINDOORThe Pakistani Army under Asim Munir, already grappling with domestic unrest, is facing heightened scrutiny following India's Operation Sindoor, a retaliatory strike against terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir.The operation, launched in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 people, exposed vulnerabilities in Pakistan's military strategy and dented Munir's public image.Following this, Munir was elevated to Field Marshal, a move seen by many as an act of face-saving and self-congratulation.Gohar Ali Khan's claim about Khan's impending release could signal a retreat by Munir, or just another move in the military's political chessboard. But in Pakistan, a land of contradictions, nothing is certain until June 11 actually dawns.Tune InMust Watch
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
34 minutes ago
- India.com
India Won Operation Sindoor – But What Does The Army Want Next, And Who Poses The Greatest Threat?
New Delhi: India crushed Pakistan's assault during Operation Sindoor. But after the dust settled, something more alarming came into view. China was not sitting on the sidelines. It was pulling strings from behind the curtain. Indian radars picked up Chinese-made jets in Pakistani skies. Chinese missiles were used to target Indian bases. Beijing was deeply involved. That means India was not fighting just Pakistan. India was up against two enemies at once. Military officers have sounded the alarm. They want India's defence budget raised to 2.5% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Right now, the defence allocation stands at just 1.9%. A huge portion of that money goes into salaries and pensions. Only a quarter of it helps modernise the military. This cannot continue. Not when two hostile neighbours are preparing for something bigger. China has been pumping weapons into Pakistan. In the May 7-10 clashes, Pakistan deployed Chinese J-10 jets and HQ-9 missile systems. Beijing has promised to send more – stealth fighters, long-range air defence weapons and new-generation drones. China is flooding Pakistan with cutting-edge military tools. Pakistan's economy is in crisis. But even then, Islamabad raised its defence budget by 20%. It cut development. It ignored debt. It focused on weapons. India must respond, believe experts, arguing that it is time for total self-reliance in defence production. India must build fighter jets, drones, loitering munitions and missiles on its own. The private sector must step in. Half-measures will not do. Half-prepared armies lose wars. India's Advanced Medium Combat Aircraft (AMCA) project has started moving. But it must move faster. Tejas took decades. The same mistake cannot happen again. The Indian Air Force is short on fighter squadrons. It has just 30. The target is 42.5. Drones are the new face of war. Swarm drones. FPV kamikaze drones. Loitering drones. India needs all of these, and it needs them in bulk. No country will come to India's rescue in a full-scale war. India must stand on its own. During Operation Sindoor, India used Russian S-400s, Israeli Barak-8s and its own Akash missiles. These systems intercepted and neautralised many Pakistani drone and missile attacks. But more layers are needed. DRDO must now accelerate two things – short-range air defence systems and long-range strike missiles like Project Kusha. Military reform is also crucial. India has a huge army. It must cut unnecessary spending. It must remove red tape from weapons procurement. And it must create joint theatre commands that allow the Army, Navy and Air Force to fight as one. A senior military commander put it bluntly. India is now staring at a superpower that is feeding a hostile neighbour. Pakistan may fire the bullets. But China is loading the gun. India cannot look away anymore. The next battle may not wait for long.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
Washington airport to halt flights at 6 pm Saturday night during Trump Army parade
The Federal Aviation Administration will suspend all flights at Reagan Washington National Airport from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on Saturday due to U.S. President Donald Trump's Army anniversary parade. The agency will also expand the Washington, D.C., Special Flight Rules Area during this period. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads The Federal Aviation Administration plans to suspend flights at Reagan Washington National Airport from 6 p.m. ET to 9:30 p.m. during U.S. President Donald Trump 's Army anniversary parade on Saturday, the agency said FAA is expanding the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan Area Special Flight Rules Area and from 6 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. will stop all arrivals and departures at the airport just outside Washington.
India.com
an hour ago
- India.com
Operation Sindoor: Rafales, Sukhois Shot Down Pakistan's JF-17s, Mirages In Dogfight; India Set To Reveal Smoking Gun Evidence
New Delhi: Clouds parted. Secrets spilled. Under the cloak of night, the Indian Air Force launched a mission that would rattle Islamabad to its core. It was Operation Sindoor, a storm that tore through terror camps and left Pakistani war machines in flames. On the intervening night of May 6 and 7, the air throbbed with tension. Rafale and Sukhoi jets soared out of Indian bases. Precision. Power. Payloads locked. Targets across the border marked in red – terror launchpads nestled in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). Airstrikes hit like thunderclaps. Explosions followed. Camp after camp, bunker after bunker flattened. Over 100 terrorists eliminated in minutes. The April 22 Pahalgam's bloodshed avenged. But the night did not end there. Pakistan scrambled its jets. JF-17s. Mirages. J-10Cs. Interceptors on a collision course. The dogfight was brutal. Aerial combat at lightning speed. Engines screamed. Missiles launched. Skies lit up. And then silence. Flames fell from the heavens. Pakistan's jets crashed and burned. Sources inside India's top defence establishment confirm that enemy aircraft shot down mid-air. India watched. Recorded. Tracked every move with AWACS and ground-based radar. The wreckage? Scattered across the rugged terrain of PoK. And India has the evidence. High-resolution satellite images. Infrared signatures. Radio logs. Visual confirmation from cockpit feeds. Soon, the truth will go public. Pakistan panicked. Cross-border firing intensified. Ceasefire torn to shreds. India retaliated with full force. Missiles rained down on major Pakistani airbases. Noor Khan. Rafiqui. Sukkur. Chunian. Rahim Yar Khan – once considered strategic strongholds. Now smoking craters. One hit after another. Pakistan's Chinese-made HQ-9 air defense systems shredded. Its backbone was broken. Operation Sindoor was a verdict – justice delivered at supersonic speed.
