Backchannel bid?: Ex-generals seek court nod to meet Imran

ISLAMABAD: In a rare move, four retired military generals have filed a petition before the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) requesting a meeting with PTI founder Imran Khan citing their long association and the urgent need to address matters of importance.

The retired military generals who filed the petition for a meeting with Imran Khan include Lieutenant General (R) Zahid Akbar, Lieutenant General (R) Sikandar Afzal, Lieutenant General (R) Farooq Khan and Major General (R) Masood Burki. The petition was filed by Advocate Ahsan Ayyaz Khan before ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah, and court staff have received it. It remains unclear whether the four retired generals will be granted permission to meet Imran Khan.

In their petition, the retired generals say they have a long association with Imran Khan and wish to discuss important national matters with him. They have asked the court for permission to hold an urgent meeting with the PTI founder on key issues. Observers now wonder whether this move is a personal initiative by the generals or an attempt to open a backchannel dialogue with Imran Khan through these generals.

After the Pahalgam attack, the government sought political unity and consensus to counter the Indian threat. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders have voiced concern over barring members of Imran Khan’s family, including his sisters, from meetings. Now, the question arises if the recent petition by four retired generals a bid to open backchannel talks with PTI’s former head, Imran Khan, to bridge these political divisions. Also, one wonders whether these generals have had any long association with Imran Khan as claimed by them or not.

Lt General (R) Sikandar Afzal was commissioned in the Pakistan Army in 1972. He remained at key positions during former military dictator General (R) Pervez Musharraf’s regime. As a Major General, he served as DG (Analysis) in the Inter-Services Intelligence and later after his promotion as Lieutenant General, he served as Corps Commander, Corps II (Multan). It is, however, not clear if the retired general has any declared political affiliation with the former premier Imran Khan.

Major General (R) Masood Burki, a graduate of the 27 PMA Long Course alongside former Army Chief General (R) Aslam Beg, authored a book “Blueprint for a Stable and Viable Pakistan” in 2018. In it, he argues that after early promises under Pakistan’s founders, the country’s growth was derailed by corruption, poor leadership and a flawed political system. He writes that ordinary citizens grew poorer while a privileged few prospered, and that capable leaders were blocked by systemic failures. On his social media on X, Burki has been a vocal critic of mainstream parties like the PMLN and PPP. Although he never named Imran Khan directly, his posts praised Khan’s potential to reform and showed his hope that Khan would lead the country after the 2013 elections.

Similarly, Lieutenant General (R) Farooq Khan and Lieutenant General (R) Zahid Akbar have no publicly known direct political ties with Imran Khan. However, in their petition, they have stated that they share a long-standing affiliation with the PTI founder, Imran Khan.

The News contacted PTI Secretary Information Sheikh Waqas Akram to ask about any official ties between these generals and PTI. He said they have no political affiliation with the party.

Sheikh Waqas Akram said many retired army officers admire and support Imran Khan without officially joining the PTI. “A huge portion of the ex-servicemen society is Imran Khan’s supporter. They still support Imran Khan but because of the fascism of the current regime they do not come forward,” he commented. He added that this silent backing shows the deep respect many former officers have for the PTI founder.

When asked if this petition by the retired generals was meant to open a backchannel dialogue with Imran Khan, Sheikh Waqas Akram dismissed the idea. He said that if the generals were sent to negotiate, they would have been granted direct access to Khan without needing court approval. “They need not go through court channels to meet him,” he explained. He added that if this were an ‘official’ initiative to start talks, no petition would be necessary. “I would say no. They might simply want a personal meeting with Khan. If they were on a formal mission, court petitions would not be needed for it,” he said.