KP CM says ‘Imran release force’ will mobilise hundreds of thousands

• Proposed force to include all wings of PTI — lawyers and youth: Afridi
• KP CM says they are going to bring youth together on one platform.
• Afridi expresses distrust in reports issued by PIMS on Khan’s eye condition.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister (CM) Sohail Afridi on Tuesday said that a “release force” comprising hundreds of thousands of people would be formed to free Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan from prison.

The KP CM, a Khan loyalist, last week announced the formation of the release force, saying that the incarcerated PTI founder had assigned him the responsibility of leading a “street movement”.

The cricketer-turned-politician, 73, has been in jail since August 2023, convicted in a string of cases that he claims were politically driven following his ouster in a 2022 parliamentary vote.

Talking to the media on Tuesday, he said the proposed force would include all wings of the party, including lawyers and Insaf Youth. “We are going to bring the youth together on one platform. We want all young people to be prepared whenever the founder gives the call,” he maintained.

Afridi said that forces exist in various forms, including relief forces, tiger forces and task forces.

Taking a jibe at the ruling alliance, KP CM said that none of those involved in “stealing our mandate” on February 8 could be considered their benefactors.

Afridi also expressed distrust in the reports issued by Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) regarding Khan’s eye condition, alleging that the documents were fabricated.

Announcing the formation of “Imran Khan Release Force” last week, the provincial chief executive said the force would be formally registered and would pursue a peaceful struggle. He added that members of the force would take an oath in Peshawar immediately after Eid ul Fitr.

The announcement came as Khan’s health became the latest point of contention between the government and the opposition comprising PTI and the TTAP alliance.

A report submitted to the Supreme Court revealed that the PTI founder was diagnosed with a serious eye condition known as central retinal vein occlusion (CRVO) and that he only has 15% vision left in his right eye. The government, however, maintains that the ex-premier is getting the best treatment possible.

Khan has received two eye injections since the start of treatment for his condition and is expected to receive another dose in the coming weeks. 

However, PTI seems to have divisions over Afridi’s announcement.

During a Brackly News talk show, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said he first learned of the proposal when Afridi made the announcement.

However, he contended that it could be a proposal put forward by the chief minister, and there would be deliberations. He added that Afridi, who is also a member of the PTI Political Committee, would present the reasons as to why such a force was needed when the party already had existing bodies such as the Insaf Students Federation (ISF) and PTI Youth Wings. 

Contrary to this viewpoint, Shafi Ullah Jan, an aide to the KP chief minister, said in Brackly News’ “Naya Pakistan” talk show that once the chief minister had made the announcement, the force would have to be established, and there was no need for endorsement from the Political Committee or the PTI secretary general.

More recently, a report emerged that PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has intervened to stop the KP CM from proceeding with a controversial plan to raise an “Imran Khan Release Force.”

Party sources told The News that the intervention, both direct and through senior party figures, came after the chief minister’s public announcement that a dedicated force would be created to secure the release of jailed former prime minister Khan.

Sources disclosed that Barrister Gohar conveyed a blunt warning (to the KP CM) that the creation of any entity described as a “force,” particularly one requiring members to take an oath for a political objective, could be construed as unconstitutional, unlawful, and potentially falling within the ambit of militancy. 

The PTI chairman is said to have also engaged opposition leaders, including Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, in an apparent effort to build political consensus within the PTI and the opposition alliance against the move, reflecting the seriousness with which the proposal is being viewed in political circles.