Former Pak PM Imran Khan alleges Asim Munir inflicting 'mental torture' on him, wife

Lahore: Incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan on Friday said Pakistan Army Chief Gen Asim Munir is inflicting “mental torture” on him and his wife in jail to break them down and submit to him.

The 72-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician has been in jail for over two years in multiple cases. He is currently lodged in the Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi.

His wife Bushra Bibi also joined him in the prison after the duo was convicted in the Al-Qadir Trust cases earlier this year.

“The mental torture being inflicted on me and (my wife) Bushra Begum in prison is being carried out by Asim Munir, and the sole purpose is to make us break down and submit,” Khan said in a post on X.

“My message for Asim Munir is that ... as long as we are alive, we will not bow down before the cruelty of Yazid or the tyranny of the Pharaoh,” he said referring to the centuries old rulers who were known for their cruelty and tyranny.

“Gen Munir is using the army to create an atmosphere of lawlessness and fascism in our country. Asim Munir has left no stone unturned for the extension of his illegitimate rule for 10 years,” Khan alleged.

Khan further said ever since Gen Asim Munir took over as Army Chief, he has been attempting to sour relations with Afghanistan. “Upon taking office, he first issued threats to Afghanistan, then expelled Afghan nationals who had lived here for three generations, followed by drone strikes there, making every effort to provoke them into fighting Pakistan, creating a climate of terrorism.”

“He (Munir) is doing this to portray himself as a “mujahid” (warrior) to lobbies in the West that oppose the current Afghan government, in order to convince them that he is the one who can fight the war against terrorism,” he lambasted.

“Because of this oppression, Pakistan’s economy is experiencing historically slow growth and foreign investment is virtually zero, he said and added never in Pakistan’s history has investment been as low as it is at this time.

“In three years the national debt has doubled. Every Pakistani is now trapped in a quagmire of debt. Until a government of the people is established, it will not be possible to solve the country's economic challenges.” He also called upon his party workers to focus their attention on the Peshawar rally to be held on September 27.