Attaullah Tarar rejects any government ‘deal’ with Imran Khan

Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Thursday strongly rejected media reports suggesting any “deal” between the government and jailed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan.

In a statement shared on X, Tarar said: “There is neither any deal nor any leniency for Imran.” He added that any suggestion that the government was making concessions to Imran Khan was “completely false and misleading”.

Tarar concluded, “Imran Khan is a convicted criminal and the news of his release is baseless. There is no truth in this news.”

Khan, 73, has been imprisoned since August 2023 following convictions he and the PTI call politically motivated. Since his ouster in 2022 in a vote of no confidence, he has faced several cases, including state gifts and an illegal marriage. Some sentences have been suspended or overturned pending appeals. He pleads not guilty.

Tarar’s statement comes after recent remarks by the prime minister’s adviser on political affairs Rana Sanaullah, who said attempts were being made to find a solution but Khan was not willing to accept “any deal”.

“He is not ready for any deal,” Sanaullah told a private news channel on Wednesday. “Two serious efforts were made, but not only did he refuse, but his demands were such that the present government could not meet them.”

Sanaullah explained that the first attempt involved Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and former Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur in the wake of the November 2024 protests. Another effort involved people from abroad who met with Imran Khan, but he eventually backed out of any deal, according to Sanaullah.

Read: TTAP ends Parliament protest, raises concern over Imran Khan’s health

The statements come after the Supreme Court was informed that only 15% of Imran’s vision remains in his right eye. The information was disclosed to the apex court by PTI’s counsel, Advocate Salman Safdar, who quoted the former prime minister as saying that he had been left with only 15 per cent. vision in his right eye after medical complications.

The development caused an outcry from opposition ranks, who criticized the government for allowing Khan’s health to deteriorate to this level.

Regarding the second attempt to reach an understanding, Sanaullah said he could not reveal all the details but confirmed that some people had arrived from abroad and had links with Imran Khan. “They also met with Imran Khan sahib and according to my information he initially agreed with them but later withdrew from the event,” Sanaullah added.

In January 2026, Sanaullah had noted that while PTI leaders were seeking dialogue with the government, Imran Khan was against such engagement.

On Tuesday, Parliamentary Secretary Barrister Danyal Chaudhry also dismissed reports of a “deal” with Khan, saying the former prime minister had sought concessions from the very beginning. “We are willing to hold talks, but we will not entertain any form of blackmail. The only justification for sending Imran Khan abroad for treatment would be if, God forbid, he suffers from a life-threatening condition that cannot be treated in the country,” Chaudhry said.