News
February 14 , 2025
PTI Writes to IMF, Another Letter to Be Sent to Army ChiefBy Ikram Junaidi
Islamabad: Former prime minister Imran Khan has decided to send yet another ‘open letter’ to Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir, his lawyer claimed on Wednesday, saying the jailed PTI founder wished to express his grievances against the system and propose “structural reforms” to resolve crises faced by the country.
Faisal Chaudhry, speaking to media persons outside the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi after meeting the incarcerated PTI founder on Wednesday, claimed that the letter would be based on six points.
He claimed that the contents of the letter were noted by him during his meeting with Mr Khan, adding that it would be dispatched soon.
Sources said the letter would be shared on social media, but it seems instead of the entire text, only its contents would be shared.
The PTI has previously claimed to have sent the army chief two open letters , which are already mired in controversy. Security sources had denied receipt of the first purported letter to the army chief, whose contents were divulged to the media. Similarly, a second letter also never saw the light of day; instead, only its salient features were shared on the social media handle of the ex-PM.
It is worth noting that the incarcerated former premier does not have access to his X account, and his verified social media accounts are being operated by someone else.
Surprisingly, the party has been quite cagey about sharing the letters themselves with the media. In contrast, the complete contents of an open letter to CJP Yahya Afridi — written in the last week of January — were released to the media along with pages and pages of ‘evidence’ and documents.
A day earlier, CJP Afridi had acknowledged receiving the missive, and said he had shared it with the apex court’s Constitutional Committee.
Letter to IMF
In contrast, photos of the letter sent to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) team by PTI were posted on social media.
The letter, containing a photo of the dossier sent to the CJP and a recent report on the 2024 elections, was written by National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub Khan and addressed to Mahir Binici, an economist in the strategy, policy and review department of the IMF.
Mr Ayub said he was writing to the IMF because its mission was in Pakistan to assess the economic and governance framework, with transparency and the rule of law being fundamental concerns. In the letter, the PTI leader claimed that the “systematic manipulation of the democratic process is evident across the country, undermining the very principles of justice, free will, and constitutional governance”.
He also referred to a meeting between Imran Khan and the IMF in July 2023 , saying that Mr Khan had “stressed that free and fair elections were imperative for the rule of law”.
“The dossier contains substantial facts and proofs of how state institutions, including the Election Commission of Pakistan, suppressed PTI, forcefully snatching its public mandate, and engineering the electoral outcome,” the letter said.
“Included is the report of an NGO Pattan that gives the details of electoral manipulation. Given the significance of transparency in economic and political stability, we believe it is imperative that these grave concerns are brought to the attention of all relevant stakeholders, including international institutions monitoring governance in Pakistan,” he added. - Dawn
Courtesy Dawn
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