Ahsan Iqbal dismisses PTI founder’s ‘political prisoner’ claim, recalls own jail time

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal has dismissed the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s claim of being a “political prisoner,” recalling his own imprisonment under the former government and asserting that he never sought foreign support or played the victim.

Speaking on ARY News’ program The Eleventh Hour, Iqbal said the former premier Imran Khan is jailed in a corruption case involving £190 million, not for political reasons.

Ahsan Iqbal said the issue of meeting the PTI founder in jail was a provincial matter, not a federal one. He noted that the PTI founder Imran Khan, now imprisoned in a corruption case involving £190 million, had once detained him in the same facility during his time as a political opponent.

Iqbal asserted that he never sought foreign help when in jail and always fought his case in court — unlike those now claiming to be political prisoners.

Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan must stand united in the face of growing internal and external challenges, warning that instability would hit Khyber Pakhtunkhwa the hardest. He recalled that Pakistan had successfully crushed terrorism through Operation Zarb-e-Azb after 2013, but now the threat was re-emerging from across the border.

Discussing the Pak-Afghan situation, Ahsan Iqbal emphasized that Afghan refugees will be repatriated with dignity and respect. He reiterated that anyone wishing to travel between the two countries must do so with valid visas, adding that Pakistan has engaged in dialogue with Afghanistan for the past two years. He noted that senior officials, including Ishaq Dar, had visited Kabul to address key issues.

Ahsan Iqbal said terrorists targeting Pakistan continue to operate from Afghan soil and urged Kabul to fulfill its “moral and international obligations” to curb cross-border militancy. Iqbal added that while Western nations react sharply to a few hundred refugees, Pakistan has hosted over four million Afghan refugees for decades. A large number of illegal residents, he said, have already been repatriated.

He further stated that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had congratulated the newly elected Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister, emphasizing federal respect for the province’s mandate. Commenting on security issues, Ahsan Iqbal said that the KP government should strengthen its police force, noting that the federal government had already provided Rs7 billion for merged districts last year and plans to allocate an additional Rs6 billion this year.

Regarding the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Maulana Fazlur Rehman, he said relations remain cordial and that most issues with PPP have been resolved, while efforts are ongoing to address Fazlur Rehman’s reservations.

On the banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), Ahsan Iqbal said the Punjab government has prepared a case for imposing a ban, adding that no organization should misuse the name of a revered religious personality for political or violent ends.

Ahsan Iqbal concluded by reaffirming that Pakistan’s internal security and political stability depend on unity, mutual respect, and adherence to democratic principles.