Former prime minister Imran Khan would not pursue confrontation with Pakistan’s military leadership if released from prison, according to close aide Zulfi Bukhari, in comments that signal a potentially significant shift in PTI’s rhetoric after years of political confrontation with the establishment.
Speaking to Reuters, Bukhari said that if Khan were released, he would not take actions that could damage the country. He suggested that Khan would be willing to contain his personal grievances rather than enter another confrontation with the establishment or military leadership.
Bukhari’s comments come at a particularly sensitive moment for PTI. The Supreme Court’s recent intervention over Khan’s medical treatment has generated renewed optimism among his supporters and leadership, with Bukhari describing the ruling as a “new ray of hope”.
The remarks represent one of the clearest indications from a senior PTI figure that reconciliation with the military could be possible. However, Bukhari acknowledged that there are currently no talks between PTI and the military.
He suggested that the army chief could potentially help ease Pakistan’s political tensions by extending what he described as a “healing hand” to the country. In Bukhari’s view, such an intervention could contribute to the release of political prisoners and create space for reconciliation.
Whether Bukhari’s position reflects Khan’s own current thinking remains uncertain. Bukhari said party leaders had last spoken with Khan around eight months ago, while Reuters noted that analysts questioned whether PTI figures outside prison could speak definitively for the former prime minister.
That distinction is important. The comments indicate Bukhari’s assessment of how Khan would behave if released, rather than a newly issued statement directly from Khan committing himself to reconciliation with the military.
PTI also has no plans to abandon its political mobilisation.
Bukhari said the party intends to proceed with a nationwide march toward Islamabad on September 27, regardless of developments surrounding Khan’s hospital treatment. The planned mobilisation will demand implementation of court-ordered medical care, access for Khan’s family, doctors, lawyers and party leadership, faster hearings in his cases and ultimately his release.
He also indicated that senior PTI figures currently in hiding could participate in or help organise the mobilisation.
The combination of conciliatory rhetoric and continued protest plans illustrates PTI’s evolving political strategy. The party appears to be leaving the door open to reconciliation with the military while maintaining public pressure over Khan’s imprisonment and legal cases.
For now, however, there is no confirmed dialogue between the two sides and no direct statement from Khan adopting Bukhari’s position.
The significance of the interview therefore lies less in an established political breakthrough and more in the possibility it raises: after years of confrontation, influential figures around Khan are publicly discussing what reconciliation could look like.
