Trump Allies Urge Release of Imran Khan To Strengthen US-Pakistan Ties
As the US recalibrates its South Asia policy, analysts debate whether President Trump will pressure Pakistan to release the popular opposition leader
[Islamabad] Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan has spent, as of Friday, 658 days behind bars—a detention that continues to draw intense national and international scrutiny.
Although his incarceration briefly faded from the spotlight during the recent Pakistan-India conflict, the past few days have seen senior leaders of his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), renew calls for a nationwide movement demanding Khan’s release.
Speaking to the media outside Central Jail Rawalpindi, where Khan is being held, his sister, Aleema Khan, alleged that whenever momentum builds for a campaign for his freedom, government circles deliberately spread rumors of his imminent release or initiate secret talks to create divisions among party activists by sparking accusations of collusion. Responding to the rumors, Aleema categorically denied any deal with the government regarding her brother’s release.
Another sister, Noreen Niazi, also spoke outside the prison on Tuesday. She insisted that her brother was never convicted of a crime and that all cases filed against him have been closed. “Yet he’s being treated like a convicted criminal, even though nothing has been proven,” she said. “No other political prisoner in the country has faced such treatment.” She urged Pakistanis nationwide to stage protests in every major city and on every street across the country.
According to sources, three of Imran Khan’s sisters were scheduled to meet him in Central Jail Rawalpindi on Tuesday. However, prison authorities allowed only two—Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan. The eldest sister, Aleema, was denied entry.
Adding to the public appeals, Khan’s sons—Sulaiman Isa Khan, 28, and Kasim Khan, 26—recently spoke with prominent social media influencer Mario Nawfal. In their first-ever public interview, they expressed deep concern over their father’s prolonged imprisonment. They described his detention conditions as inhumane, citing solitary confinement and limited medical care. He is being held in a “death cell” reserved for terrorists, under bleak and oppressive conditions. Despite a court order allowing weekly calls, communication with their father has been sporadic.
Their appeal for international support appears to be gaining some traction. Zalmay Khalilzad, a veteran American diplomat and former US special representative for Afghanistan reconciliation, wrote on X, “There are reports that Imran Khan will be released soon. I hope these reports are true. Pakistan would benefit from his release both at home and abroad during this sensitive period.” He added that keeping Khan in prison, a view reportedly favored by the military after recent tensions with India, reflects a “short-sighted” approach that would prolong Pakistan’s “democracy-deficit and political polarization” and threaten its stability.
Providing a contrasting view, Irfan Siddiqui, a senator from the Pakistan Muslim League (N) and a known PTI rival, responded on Monday by urging PTI supporters to recognize changing global realities. He asserted that the US president’s priorities have shifted and that Khan’s release is no longer a possibility.
The legal foundation for Khan’s detention dates back to his ouster via a no-confidence vote in April 2022 and his arrest in August 2023 on charges of selling state gifts. He was sentenced to three years and disqualified from elections. Although that conviction was overturned, he remained detained under the Official Secrets Act. In January 2024, he and former Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi received 10-year sentences for mishandling a diplomatic cable. Khan denies all allegations and says they are politically motivated.
Concerns about his health and access to legal counsel persist. His appearances are mostly conducted via video link under tight security. Human rights organizations, including the United Nations Human Rights Office and Human Rights Watch, have criticized the legal process and raised alarm about shrinking democratic space in Pakistan.
International attention intensified in February 2025, when Republican Congressmen Joe Wilson and August Pfluger called on the US to press for Khan’s release, citing his close ties to President Donald Trump and suggesting that releasing Khan could improve US-Pakistan relations.
Despite being behind bars, Khan remains a pivotal force in Pakistani politics. PTI candidates running as independents secured a strong showing in the February 2024 elections, though they did not form a government. The party continues to allege electoral manipulation and is demanding a recount and Khan’s release. As a former legendary cricketer and one of Asia’s most popular political leaders on social media, with 21.1 million followers on X, his influence endures.
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The renewed push by PTI leadership in recent days signals that Khan’s political future remains unresolved—and that calls for his release may once again dominate Pakistan’s political discourse.
In a recent interview with The Media Line, Barrister Salman Akram Raja, general secretary of PTI, emphasized the broader stakes of Khan’s incarceration. “Khan’s release and presence would bring greater cohesion among the people and lift their spirits,” Raja said. He described the imprisonment as “a travesty of the law,” and criticized what he sees as the erosion of fair institutional conduct. He stressed that “We want the Constitution and the rule of law to be upheld, and for all issues to be resolved through dialogue.”
Raja said he and Khan’s sisters met the former prime minister on Tuesday. Khan reportedly dismissed talks with the “puppet government” as pointless and reiterated the need for national unity. According to Raja, Khan is open to engaging with authorities, not to benefit personally, but to promote national stability. “Prison hasn’t shaken his resolve, and he is not seeking any sort of deal,” Raja said.
To assess how President Trump’s priorities might have shifted following his role in brokering the Pakistan-India ceasefire, The Media Line spoke with several political analysts.
Professor Dr. Zahid Anwar, a Peshawar-based former vice chancellor of the University of Peshawar and former chairman of the Department of Political Science, shared his views on the evolving situation.
He told The Media Line, “Following the recent India-Pakistan clashes, the US, which brokered the ceasefire, sees new areas of mutual interest with Pakistan, including intelligence sharing and joint counterterrorism efforts to maintain regional peace and prevent nuclear escalation.”
Anwar noted that by proposing a tariff-free trade deal, Pakistan hopes to boost economic ties with the US. He added that the recent conflict may signal a fresh start in bilateral relations, as nationalist sentiments surge and the country’s political dynamics shift.
He observed that most Pakistanis welcomed the unified stance of political leaders in response to India’s threats, appreciating the coordinated efforts of both the government and the military.
The crisis, in his view, is seen as a turning point, fostering political unity and national cohesion. He added that, with time, this solidarity is expected to strengthen domestic stability and reshape the country’s political landscape.
Maybe he will, maybe he won’t
In response to The Media Line’s question about whether President Trump might pressure Islamabad to reconsider Imran Khan’s detention, Anwar said, “The dynamics are too fluid and complex—maybe he will, maybe he won’t.”
Salman Lali, a Lahore-based geopolitical analyst and fellow at think tank CommandEleven, told The Media Line that “some observers view the possibility of Imran Khan’s release as a potential pressure valve—an attempt to ease public and international pressure without shifting the underlying power dynamics.”
That impact, he added, depends on whether the establishment views Khan as a threat to stability or as someone who could help de-escalate tensions.
Lali cited various media reports suggesting that an individual reportedly unaffiliated with any political party—but understood to represent elements within Pakistan’s powerful establishment—met Khan during the recent standoff between India and Pakistan and sought his support.
He claimed, “Khan is said to have signaled agreement, which some analysts believe was reflected in how PTI’s influential social media network actively countered Indian narratives during the conflict.”
According to Lali, the establishment remains cautious, resistant, but not inflexible about a potential release. He suggested that growing public and international pressure, along with mounting political fatigue, could eventually push for a shift in its approach.
He described the US response as measured, noting that while some lawmakers voiced concern over Khan’s detention, the administration maintains strategic ambiguity. Washington, he said, is recalibrating its South Asia policy to prioritize stability, counterterrorism, and countering China, while avoiding direct involvement in Pakistan’s internal politics.
President Trump wants to avoid further instability in Pakistan
Closing the round of expert views, Professor Adrian Calamel, a senior fellow at the Washington-based Arabian Peninsula Institute, doubted the likelihood of any US-led effort to pressure for Khan’s release. “President Trump wants to avoid further instability in Pakistan, knowing the current government is weak and could collapse,” he said.
Calamel added that Khan is seen as someone who could escalate tensions with India and revive anti-American rhetoric.
He explained that the American president’s second-term foreign policy leans toward isolationism, and the US lawmakers calling for Khan’s release have little influence over him.
In his view, if Khan were to return to power, it would signal the military’s willingness to align with more radical elements—a move he believes would further destabilize Pakistan.
