Imran Khan Declined Two 'Political Deals' Aimed At Ending Standoff: Pakistan's PM Aide

Last Updated:February 20, 2026, 17:06 IST

The aide said two "serious attempts" were made to reach an understanding with the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), but both efforts failed.

A close aide to Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has claimed that jailed former premier Imran Khan was offered a political “deal" twice to end the ongoing standoff, but he refused to go ahead with it.

Adviser to the Pakistani Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said during a television talk show on Wednesday that two serious attempts were made to reach an understanding with the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), but both efforts failed.

According to Sanaullah, the first attempt was led by Pakistan Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and then Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur before November 26, 2024. The second effort, he said, was made more recently by certain individuals from abroad. He claimed that Khan had initially agreed but later backed out.

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“We want a political solution to this problem, but Khan is not willing to find a way out," he said. Sanaullah also alleged that Khan wants the current government to step down so that he can return to power.

Defending three-time former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, Sanaullah said he was an experienced politician who had found a way forward for himself and his party in difficult circumstances.

However, Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarar later denied that any deal or leniency was being offered to Khan. In a post on X, he said any impression of relaxation was false and described Khan as a convicted criminal.

“There is neither any deal nor any leniency being offered to Imran Khan. Any impression of the government granting relaxation to Imran Khan is entirely false. Imran Khan is a convicted criminal," Tarar had wrote.

Meanwhile, Khan’s family and party have sought medical treatment for him at Shifa Hospital in Islamabad. His lawyer, Salman Safdar, told the Supreme Court that the 73-year-old has lost 85 per cent vision in his right eye while in jail.

The cricketer-turned-politician has been in prison since August 2023 in multiple cases.

(With inputs from PTI)

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