Pakistan’s confrontation between jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan and the country’s powerful military establishment remains unresolved, with tensions again rising ahead of a planned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) mobilisation on September 27.
Khan has remained imprisoned since August 2023 amid multiple legal cases. His supporters maintain that the cases are politically motivated, while Pakistani authorities maintain that he is being held under the law.
The political standoff has now moved beyond Khan himself. PTI continues to demand his release, while authorities have taken measures to prevent or contain the planned mobilisation. On September 20, police arrested Khan’s sister Aleema Khan under a preventive-detention order, with officials citing public-safety concerns.
The confrontation is complicated by a striking shift in rhetoric from Khan’s camp. In August, PTI spokesman Zulfiqar Bukhari told Reuters that Khan would not confront Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir if released and suggested that reconciliation could be possible. Bukhari’s comments, however, were his own representation of what Khan might do rather than a direct public commitment from Khan.
At the same time, the military’s institutional influence remains a central feature of Pakistan’s political system. Recent legislation has formally strengthened the powers of the country’s top military command, with analysts describing the changes as a major restructuring of civil-military authority.
This leaves Pakistan facing a political contradiction. The state is seeking stability and greater international diplomatic relevance, while one of the country’s most significant political movements remains locked in confrontation with the establishment.
The September mobilisation could therefore become another major test of Pakistan’s political system. A crackdown could deepen confrontation with PTI supporters, while concessions could open the door to negotiations over Khan’s future. Neither route automatically resolves the deeper civil-military tensions that have shaped Pakistani politics for decades.
The central question is no longer simply whether Imran Khan remains behind bars. It is whether Pakistan can find a political framework in which electoral competition, civilian institutions and the military establishment operate without repeatedly becoming locked in confrontation.
Until that question is addressed, Pakistan’s political crisis is likely to remain larger than any single leader or protest.
