4 hours ago
Last Updated:May 10, 2025, 02:42 IST
Imran Khan's party has filed a petition demanding his release, expressing fears of his possible death amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan.
Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan. (File pic/Reuters)
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s close aides and party are gravely concerned that his life is in danger, while he is imprisoned in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, amid escalating tensions with India and missile and drone attacks from both sides.
Khan’s party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), had filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court seeking his release from jail, citing the impact of prolonged detention on his health and the current situation with India.
One of his close aides told CNN-News18 that there were acute concerns over the current war-like situation, with Indian drones striking deep inside Pakistani territory without being intercepted by the military and hitting cities like Rawalpindi.
“There is a great fear that one of the drones could land on the Adiala jail," the aide said, while claiming that Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had himself hinted at the possibility of a drone hitting the prison, which was a “direct death threat".
He further said Khan needed to be immediately evacuated from the jail premises, which is what his family wants. “This is no place for Imran Khan, who has been in jail for bogus charges, with not a single legitimate charge. We feel that he should be out on parole until things are safe," he told CNN-News18.
Tensions between India and Pakistan are at a high as both sides are trading fire over the Line of Control (LoC), after the Indian government launched Operation Sindoor to target terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.
In this tense scenario, Khan’s aide said the death of the cricketer-turned-politician and former PM would destabilise the region.
In a statement on Thursday night, PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President Junaid Akbar warned that the government might use the cover of war to target Khan inside Adiala Jail, claiming there were fears that missiles or drones could be deployed under this pretext to harm the former Prime Minister.
Imran Khan, 72, has been in custody since August 2023, caught in a storm of nearly 200 legal cases that he says are politically driven. In January, a court sentenced the former prime minister to 14 years in prison while his wife was handed a seven-year term in one of the many cases brought against them.
Despite the crackdown, Khan’s party emerged as the largest party in terms of seats won, but a fragile coalition government blocked PTI’s chances of returning to power.
Meanwhile, Pakistan on Friday launched a fresh drone strike at 26 locations in India, from Jammu and Kashmir to Gujarat, amid escalating tensions between the two neighbouring countries. Most of these attacks were thwarted by the Indian air defence systems.
Location :Islamabad, Pakistan
First Published:News world Former PM Imran Khan's Life In Danger As India-Pakistan Tensions Escalate | Exclusive
