Islamabad, Pakistan: The latest interview of former prime minister Imran Khan published by a news organization on May 29, 2024, indicates strong possibilities that Khan who is in jail in Rawalpindi has telephonic access to the outside world along with facilities that cannot be enjoyed under prison manual.
There is no doubt that the gymnasium, especially cooked food and a huge barrack created by the demolition of walls of seven small barracks have been provided to him through a court order. Nonetheless, the court has never ordered the prison department to allow Imran Khan to have telephonic services, opportunities to chat with journalists out of jail, or to write articles for foreign media. If such services are provided to Imran Khan, it is only possible through illegal arrangements provided by jail staffers or by the provincial prison department while flouting the jail manual. It is only possible if the jail authorities have some unwritten orders from their high-ups.
The interview titled “EXCLUSIVE: Imran Khan Talks to Me From Prison” left a doubt that an international journalist is using the noun “talk” in the headline knowingly the connotation and denotation of “talks” because talks are verbal contact. Written material can not be called ‘talks”. However, it can be used just to have a catchy headline because the writer says in his story:
I want to be clear: This was no ordinary, normal interview. Due to Khan’s imprisonment, I could only send a list of written questions for him to answer. I could not speak to him directly. And I was unable to ask any follow-up questions. Nevertheless, we believe that this exclusive interview for Zeteo with the former prime minister of Pakistan is of significant importance.
There is no doubt that the para mentioned above from the content of the interview and the headline of the interview are self-contradictory as the writer categorically says that the interview was done through written questions and the writer “could not speak to him (Imran Khan) directly. And was unable to ask any follow-up questions”. Here is a catch—- if someone reads the interview carefully, it shows that the writer could have an opportunity to ask follow-up questions thereby it might not be an interview taken just through a list of questions as claimed by the writer.
Two questions and answers of the interview create such doubt about having a direct conversation instead of a list of questions having no opportunity for follow-up questions. Hereunder they are:
Q: Who do you blame for your current imprisonment? Your Pakistani political rivals, the Pakistani military, the United States? Or all of the above?
A: Over these past two years, I’ve had ample time to reflect, analyzing every move and its consequences. After 11 months in prison, I am certain that this ordeal was orchestrated solely by General Bajwa. I hold no one else responsible. He meticulously planned and executed this scheme, presenting himself as a deceitful figure, creating lies and false narratives to cause both national and international chaos – all to secure his extension. He utterly failed to grasp the detrimental impact of his actions on democracy and Pakistan.
Q: Do you still believe the Biden administration was involved in a coup to remove you from office?
A: General Bajwa single-handedly spread stories to countries like the U.S., painting me as anti-American or uninterested in good relations with them. The narrative that our trip to Russia was made unilaterally without consultation is completely false. The trip was a collective decision made after extensive deliberations. Yet, he portrayed it as an anti-American initiative by Imran Khan alone. His insatiable thirst for power rendered him unpredictable. God knows what other lies he disseminated to various countries. His personal greed turned him into a bull in a china shop.
The careful reading of the first answer of Imran Khan establishes a link with the second question because Imran Khan was questioned whether the US was involved in removing Khan’s government but Imran Khan skipped to give answer to this part of the question. It looks like when Khan skipped the answer to that part of the question, the interviewer placed a direct question to get the clear-cut answer by asking Imran Khan as; Do you still believe the Biden administration was involved in a coup to remove you from office?
Here Imran Khan gave a clear-cut answer:
General Bajwa single-handedly spread stories to countries like the U.S., painting me as anti-American or uninterested in good relations with them. The narrative that our trip to Russia was made unilaterally without consultation is completely false. The trip was a collective decision made after extensive deliberations. Yet, he portrayed it as an anti-American initiative by Imran Khan alone. His insatiable thirst for power rendered him unpredictable. God knows what other lies he disseminated to various countries. His personal greed turned him into a bull in a china shop.
It can just be a coincidence that two questions and answers looked co-related. But this part of the interview raises doubts that interview or some parts of the interview might not have written questions/answers session rather a conversation between the interviewer and interviewee took place. Therefore, the observations mentioned above were produced for academic purposes and now it is the duty of prison officials and related departments to review how written answers were transported out of the prison or whether there was a direct telephonic interaction between Imran Khan and the interviewer. In both cases, it is the duty of the prison authorities that this service is not being provided to other prisoners and why could only Imran Khan have this facilitation? This is not the first instance that such material has been published in foreign media that claims that the interview/article belonged to Imran Khan who is in jail.
On other facilities being provided to Imran Khan such as especially cooked food, a gymnasium, and a remolded huge prison cell, the provincial prison department provides a readymade answer that facilities of special food, exercise facilities, and a huge barrack had been provided to Imran under the court orders however prison department has failed to answer that did court also allow Imran Khan to write articles for international media and to provide interviews to foreign journalists? Another question arises that only the prison department is involved in this breach of the prison manual or things are not as simple as being portrayed.
