Former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is currently serving a prison sentence, repeated his call to overseas Pakistanis on Sunday to boycott the transmission of transfers, escalating political tensions when his party, Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI), faces the government.
“Once again, I urge overseas Pakistanis to continue their boycott of foreign currency transfers,” Khan said in a post about X. “Sending money to this government strengthens the very hands that tighten the noise around your throats.”
The appeal comes when negotiations between government and PTI started last month broke down this week. Deadlock followed PTI’s refusal to attend without legal commissions to investigate protests on May 9, 2023 and November 26, 2024.
Khan also called for nationwide demonstrations on February 8, marking the 2024 election elections as a “black day.” PTI claims electoral rigging of the caretaker government and the Election Commission in Pakistan. Both units deny the claims.
“Prepare to observe a nationwide” Black Day “, reads another post from KHAN’s account. “People from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and northern Punjab should be gathered in Swabi for protests, while others must have demonstrations in their respective cities.”
The protests in May 2023 allegedly saw Khan supporters who vandalized military installations. On November 26, 2024, protesters demanded Khan’s release, with the government claiming that four troops were killed in the demonstrations. PTI insists that its supporters also face injuries.
Minister of Information Ataullah Tarar criticized PTI for “one -sided” abandoned negotiations. “They made the decision with a hurry,” he said. The Government’s Negotiating Committee is expected to respond to PTI’s claims on January 28.
Khan was postponed in 2022 by what is believed to be a fall with the country’s top generals. The military denies interference with politics. Since August 2023, Khan has been jailed on various charges, which he claims are politically motivated to exclude him from power.
While he has been acquitted or had judgments suspended in most cases, he was sentenced last week to 14 years in prison over a soil corruption case. All procedures against him have been done in prison with reference to security concerns.
Transfers from overseas workers, especially from countries such as Saudi Arabia, UAE, the United States and the UK, remain crucial to Pakistan’s cash tape economy. Analysts warn that any significant influence on transfer streams could aggravate the country’s fragile economic situation.
