A senior aide to Shehbaz Sharif has claimed that jailed former premier Imran Khan was offered a political “deal” on two separate occasions but declined each time. The remarks, made by Rana Sanaullah during a television talk show on Wednesday, have reignited debate over backdoor negotiations involving Pakistan’s most prominent opposition figure.

Sanaullah said both efforts to broker an agreement collapsed, alleging that Khan initially showed willingness but later withdrew.

Two failed attempts at settlement

According to Sanaullah, the first attempt was undertaken before 26 November 2024 and involved Mohsin Naqvi and then–Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. A second initiative, he said, was led by “a few people from abroad” more recently.

Sanaullah said the government was seeking a political resolution, but Khan “is not willing to find a way out”. He added that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz believes Khan wants the current administration dissolved so he can return to power.

The adviser, considered close to Nawaz Sharif, defended the three-time prime minister’s past compromises with the military establishment. “Nawaz Sharif is a seasoned politician. He found a way forward for himself and his party,” he said.

Government rejects claim of any ongoing negotiations

The remarks drew an immediate response from Attaullah Tarar, who insisted the government had extended no deal or leniency to Khan. In a post on X, he wrote: “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.”

Family raises alarm over Khan’s health in prison

Meanwhile, concerns over Khan’s health continue to grow. His family and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf have demanded that he be allowed eye treatment at Shifa Hospital in Islamabad, under the supervision of his personal doctors.

Khan’s lawyer Salman Safdar told the Supreme Court last week that the 73-year-old has lost 85 per cent of the vision in his right eye while in custody.

His sister Noreen Khan later accused Asim Munir of overseeing “unimaginable mistreatment” of the former premier, alleging the country was under “illegitimate and un-Islamic rule”.

Khan remains in jail in multiple cases

The former cricket star and ex-prime minister has been imprisoned since August 2023 in connection with multiple convictions and ongoing cases. His party maintains he is being politically targeted, while the government insists due legal processes are being followed.

(WIth inputs from PTI)