PTI Decries Imran Khan’s 2-Year Jail Term as Political Persecution

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Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) released a white paper alleging political victimisation and human rights abuses as former Prime Minister Imran Khan marks two years in Adiala Jail.

On August 4, 2025, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) issued a 13-page white paper detailing what it calls systematic political persecution of its founder, former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has been detained in Adiala Jail since August 2023. The document, released on the eve of Khan’s two-year incarceration anniversary, accuses the government of legal manipulation through 186 criminal cases, secret jail trials, and misuse of anti-terror laws to suppress dissent, according to The Express Tribune. PTI’s Punjab Media Cell head, Shayan Bashir, highlighted over 200 police raids in Lahore targeting party workers ahead of planned August 5 protests, describing them as violations of privacy.

The white paper outlines alleged inhumane treatment of Khan, including 22-hour solitary confinement, denial of newspapers, books, and television, and restricted access to family and lawyers, as noted in posts by PTI leaders on X. Bashir told media that authorities employ coercive tactics like arbitrary detentions and forced affidavits, stating, “They extract bribes or signatures before releasing our workers.” The PTI also claims the February 2024 elections were rigged to block their return to power, despite PTI-backed independents securing the most seats, per The News International.

Khan faces charges ranging from corruption in the Al-Qadir Trust case to inciting violence during the May 9, 2023, riots, with a recent 14-year sentence handed down in January 2025, as reported by Al Jazeera. PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan condemned these as “baseless” cases meant to silence Khan’s constitutional struggle, per PBS News. The party alleges military-backed interference, pointing to a crackdown that saw 103 PTI workers convicted in military courts, violating international human rights conventions like the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), according to TIME.

The government, led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, denies these claims, with Information Minister Attaullah Tarar asserting Khan enjoys undue privileges in jail, per The Indian Express. As PTI plans nationwide protests on August 5, led by Salman Akram Raja outside Adiala Jail, the government has imposed Section 144 in Punjab, citing security risks, per The Tribune India. The white paper calls for global attention to Pakistan’s democratic erosion, warning of economic fallout like the potential loss of EU trade status.