{"id":217503,"date":"2025-01-17T11:38:23","date_gmt":"2025-01-17T11:38:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/17\/in-pakistan-imran-khans-followers-are-counting-on-trump-to-free-him\/"},"modified":"2025-01-17T11:38:23","modified_gmt":"2025-01-17T11:38:23","slug":"in-pakistan-imran-khans-followers-are-counting-on-trump-to-free-him","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/17\/in-pakistan-imran-khans-followers-are-counting-on-trump-to-free-him\/","title":{"rendered":"In Pakistan, Imran Khan\u2019s Followers Are Counting on Trump to Free Him"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align:center\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/17\/multimedia\/17pakistan-1-qhbz\/17pakistan-1-qhbz-facebookJumbo.jpg?ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-post-thumbnail size-post-thumbnail wp-post-image\" alt=\"In Pakistan, Imran Khan\u2019s Followers Are Counting on Trump to Free Him\" title=\"In Pakistan, Imran Khan\u2019s Followers Are Counting on Trump to Free Him\" \/><\/div><p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-0\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In Pakistan\u2019s turbulent politics, it has long been held that Allah, the army and America hold sway over who wields power.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Supporters of Imran Khan, the <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/11\/25\/world\/asia\/pakistan-crackdown-imran-khan.html?searchResultPosition=3\" title=\"\">imprisoned former prime minister<\/a>, are now pinning their hopes on getting him freed \u2014 however fanciful \u2014 on the wild card among the three: the incoming administration of Donald J. Trump.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Trump has said nothing publicly to indicate that he plans to intervene in Mr. Khan\u2019s case. Once he is sworn in as president on Monday, Pakistan is unlikely to rank high among Mr. Trump\u2019s foreign policy priorities.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But a series of posts on social media by one of Mr. Trump\u2019s close allies has inspired almost messianic certainty among Mr. Khan\u2019s followers that the once and future American president will help secure his freedom.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-1\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">The Trump ally, Richard Grenell, has repeatedly demanded Mr. Khan\u2019s release in messages on X. Mr. Grenell, who was ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence in the first Trump administration, was named last month by Mr. Trump as his <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/12\/14\/us\/politics\/trump-richard-grenell-special-missions.html\" title=\"\">\u201cenvoy for special missions.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\"><a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/RichardGrenell\/status\/1868730459636818036\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">One of Mr. Grenell\u2019s posts<\/a> about Mr. Khan, written two days after his appointment, garnered more than 12 million views. In another December message on X that he later deleted, Mr. Grenell equated Mr. Trump with Mr. Khan, another celebrity-turned-politician.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cWatch Pakistan,\u201d he wrote. \u201cTheir Trump-like leader is in prison on phony charges, and the people have been inspired by the US Red Wave. Stop the political prosecutions around the world!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-2\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Another fierce Trump loyalist, Matt Gaetz, the ex-congressman from Florida, echoed Mr. Grenell with a <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/FmrRepMattGaetz\/status\/1868761910696722929?lang=en\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">call on X<\/a>: \u201cFree Imran Khan!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-3\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">It is unclear why Mr. Grenell, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, has taken up Mr. Khan\u2019s cause.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">But members of the Pakistani diaspora have undertaken a vigorous lobbying campaign in the United States as Mr. Khan\u2019s party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or P.T.I., has been battered at home by arrests, crackdowns and censorship.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Khan \u2014 who was once backed by the powerful military but later lost its support \u2014 has been jailed since 2023 on a variety of charges. He says the charges are politically motivated. On Friday, a court sentenced him to another prison term, for corruption, along with his wife, Bushra Bibi.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">To Mr. Khan\u2019s followers, the proclamations of support from Mr. Trump\u2019s camp have felt like lifelines. \u201cAt last, our message is breaking through,\u201d said Atif Khan, a Houston-based official in Mr. Khan\u2019s party.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Hope has spread like wildfire in teeming WhatsApp groups and in living rooms where Mr. Khan\u2019s supporters gather. Each social media post from a Trump ally has been dissected, celebrated and shared as proof that change is imminent.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-4\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Khan\u2019s fervent followers draw parallels between him and Mr. Trump, casting them as outsiders besieged by entrenched elites. Both men have leaned heavily on social media to bypass traditional power structures.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">At Raja Bazaar, a crowded marketplace in the city of Rawalpindi that often mirrors the national political mood, Mohammad Sarwar interrupted his search for bargains to voice a sentiment common among Mr. Khan\u2019s followers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cTrump will help free Imran Khan,\u201d said Mr. Sarwar, 43, invoking the president-elect\u2019s name as though it were an incantation.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Courting American intervention is a striking shift for P.T.I., which has long branded itself as <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.dawn.com\/news\/1630278\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">critical of U.S. policies<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Khan, a former cricket superstar, <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2022\/04\/01\/1090192877\/pakistan-prime-minister-imran-khan-accuses-the-u-s-of-trying-to-oust-him\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">accused the United States<\/a> of orchestrating his ouster as prime minister in 2022. But his supporters now frame their struggle as one aligned with American values, saying they are fighting for democratic ideals and human rights.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-5\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">In the past, Mr. Trump has spoken harshly of Pakistan. He accused its leaders of \u201clies and deceit\u201d as he <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/01\/04\/us\/politics\/trump-pakistan-aid.html\" title=\"\">froze $1.3 billion in security aid<\/a> in early 2018. His administration also spearheaded efforts that year <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/02\/23\/world\/asia\/pakistan-terror-finance-list.html\" title=\"\">to blacklist Pakistan<\/a> at the Financial Action Task Force, a global watchdog that combats terrorism and money laundering. Those moves are still sore points in Pakistan, officials say.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Mr. Khan became prime minister later in 2018. Mr. Trump invited him for a meeting at the White House in July 2019. The next January in Davos, Switzerland, he called Mr. Khan \u201ca <a class=\"css-yywogo\" href=\"https:\/\/trumpwhitehouse.archives.gov\/briefings-statements\/remarks-president-trump-prime-minister-khan-islamic-republic-pakistan-bilateral-meeting-davos-switzerland\/\" title=\"\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">very good friend<\/a> of mine.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-6\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Officials in Pakistan\u2019s governing coalition have dismissed P.T.I.\u2019s expectations for the incoming Trump administration as fantasy.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cP.T.I.\u2019s hopes are unrealistic,\u201d said Khurram Dastgir-Khan, a former defense and foreign minister who belongs to the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz party. \u201cThe Trump administration, even if inclined to pressure Pakistan, would likely prioritize financial leverage, not the release or return of Khan to power.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<div data-testid=\"companionColumn-7\">\n<div class=\"css-53u6y8\">\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Pakistan\u2019s military establishment, the invisible hand behind the country\u2019s politics, has shown no signs of softening toward Mr. Khan.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">Faisal Vawda, a senator with close links to the military, said he did not expect the Trump administration to make great efforts to aid Mr. Khan, noting that it had been several weeks since Mr. Grenell last called for his release.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI don\u2019t see any good news coming from the Trump administration for P.T.I.,\u201d Mr. Vawda said. While P.T.I. has been working through lobbyists in the United States, he said, \u201csimilarly, the Pakistani establishment has done its own diplomacy, and this explains why the tweets have stopped.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-at9mc1 evys1bk0\">\u201cI see Trump working with Pakistan, the army and the government,\u201d Mr. Vawda said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<aside class=\"css-ew4tgv\" aria-label=\"companion column\"\/><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/01\/17\/world\/asia\/pakistan-grenell-imran-khan.html\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Pakistan\u2019s turbulent politics, it has long been held that Allah, the army and America hold sway over who wields power. Supporters of Imran Khan, the imprisoned former prime minister, are now pinning their hopes on getting him freed \u2014 however fanciful \u2014 on the wild card among the three: the incoming administration of Donald [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":217504,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2025\/01\/17\/multimedia\/17pakistan-1-qhbz\/17pakistan-1-qhbz-facebookJumbo.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[4139,163575,16953,508,171494,20141,870,1145,171492,264,171493,137131,20166,52,1021,128437],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217503"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=217503"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217503\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":217505,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/217503\/revisions\/217505"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/217504"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=217503"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=217503"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.talkwithrattan.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=217503"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}