PTI welcomes pro-Imran statements from Trump nominee Grenell as PML-N slams 'interference'

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has welcomed the pro-Imran Khan statements from Richard Grenell, US President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee as envoy for special missions, with the ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) slamming the "foreign interference in the country"

Grenell, who is also a close confidant of Trump, garnered attention in Pakistan when he demanded the release of Imran, who was ousted in April 2022 through a parliamentary no-confidence vote.

"Release Imran Khan," Trump's ally tweeted on November 26 — the day when authorities launched a late-night crackdown against PTI protesters marching on Islamabad's D-Chowk.

A day earlier, Grenell — while talking to a US media outlet — said that the US had a much better relationship with Pakistan during the Trump administration when Imran Khan was the leader of Pakistan because "he was an outsider".

"He [Imran Khan] was a former cricket player, he wasn’t a politician and he spoke in very common sense language, and he and Donald Trump had a very good relationship," he said.

Reiterating his demand to release Imran, he said: "There are a lot of the same allegations just like President Trump, where the ruling party put him in prison and created some sort of corruption allegations and false allegations."

Grenell has held several critical roles during Trump's first administration, including US ambassador to Germany, Special Envoy for Serbia and Kosovo Peace Negotiations, and Acting Director of National Intelligence.

Meanwhile, the PTI leaders, including Zartaj Gul and Aliya Hamza, have welcomed Grenell's statements with PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram saying that if someone advocates for human rights, "he will be welcomed".

"We are thankful for the statement but that doesn’t mean we want interference [in internal affairs of country]," he clarified.

In a statement, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said that they want Imran's freedom in accordance with the Constitution and law of Pakistan. "PTI founder will be released through the courts," he added.

He was of the view that the party did not want the help of any country, including the United States. "PTI will neither request nor expect any interference," Gohar added.

'Respect our sovereignty'

Speaking to Geo News, PML-N Senator Talal Chaudhry responded to the statements of Trump's ally, saying that the government's position is "very clear that this is our internal matter".

"The US must respect our sovereignty," he said, adding that they want their "child [Imran Khan] they brought up" to come back to power.

He rejected any possibility of the PTI founder being released with such statements, saying that Imran is accused of corruption and violating the Constitution.

A day earlier, Prime Minister's Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah — while speaking on Geo News programme 'Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath' — said that the government "would not accept any pressure" from the new US administration to negotiate with PTI or release its party founder.

When questioned about potential pressure from the Trump administration in view of its loyalist Richard Grenell's tweet demanding Imran's release, Sanaullah replied: "We would not work under pressure of Donald Trump [...] if any intervention is made then we would consider it as interference in our sovereignty."

The premier's aide, who is also one of the members of the government's negotiation committee, further said that they did not commence dialogue with the major opposition party due to Trump. He stressed that negotiations should be held bilaterally between the treasury and the opposition.

Following Imran’s removal from prime minister office through a vote of no-confidence, the PTI founder — who remains incarcerated at the Adiala jail since August last year — had previously alleged that the US was behind his ouster in 2022, citing a purported cipher linked with the US diplomat Donald Lu.

It is pertinent to mention here that the former premier had good relations with Trump, when he was the president, and held several meetings with the President-elect, including at the White House.