PTI ISLAMABAD

Jailed former Pakistan premier Imran Khan on Sunday penned an open letter to Army chief Gen Asim Munir in which he criticised the military's unlawful actions and its engagement in politics and urged it "to return to its constitutional limits".

In the letter posted on X, the Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) founder alleged mistreatment in prison, including placing him in solitary confinement in a death row cell for 20 days with no access to sunlight or electricity. Khan has been incarcerated in Adiala Jail Rawalpindi for over a year. This follows his first letter on February 3, which security sources said they  had not received.

In his latest letter, Khan said his concern "is purely for the reputation of our arm­ed forces and the dangerous consequences of the widening gulf between the military and the public. This is why I wrote this letter". He highlighted six points that have deepened the rift between the people and the military.

These points included the manipulation of election results through pre-poll rigging orchestrated by intelligence agencies, the forced passage of the 26th Constitutional Amendment in Parliament at gunpoint to take control of the judiciary and appoint handpicked judges and the imposition of draconian legislation like the amendments to PECA (Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act) to silence dissent. 

Khan noted that political instability and the "might is right" policy has plunged the country's economy into chaos. He said if a public referendum were held on the six points he highlighted, "I believe that 90 per cent of Pakis­tanis would support them".

"For Pakistan's stability and security, it is imperative to bridge the growing gap between the military and  the public," he wrote in the letter. "The only way to achieve this is for the military to return to its constitutional limits, disengage from politics and fulfil its designated responsibilities," he said.