Imran Khan rejects house arrest deal, calls for remittance boycott

Former prime minister Imran Khan has reportedly rejected a proposed house arrest deal on Friday, doubling down on his call for political change in Pakistan, reported Arab News.

In a social media post on Friday, Khan alleged that he had been offered a deal where he would be placed under house arrest at his Bani Gala residence in exchange for negotiations with the government and the provision of political space for his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

However, Khan stressed that he would rather remain in jail than accept such a deal, insisting that all PTI political prisoners must be released first.

Khan's rejection of the house arrest offer comes after the government began formal talks with PTI to ease tensions. The negotiations were sparked by Khan's threat of civil disobedience and his appeal to overseas Pakistanis to halt remittances to Pakistan until key demands were met.

These demands include the release of PTI prisoners and the formation of judicial commissions to probe violent protests on May 9 and November 26, which were blamed on PTI supporters.

In his statement, Khan called for a boycott of remittances, framing it as a stand for “true freedom and the restoration of democracy.” He said that the boycott would continue until the government took meaningful steps to address his demands, though he indicated the campaign could be called off if negotiations yield positive results.

The PTI founder also criticised the military trials of PTI supporters arrested after the May 9 protests, condemning the lack of transparency and the violation of civilian rights.

He suggested that the trials should have been conducted in open courts, with video footage of the events presented as evidence, as required by Pakistan’s constitution.

The May 9 protests, sparked by Khan’s brief detention on corruption charges, led to widespread violence, with hundreds of PTI supporters attacking government and military installations.