Islamabad: The absence of any new message directly attributed to Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan on his personal X account for more than five months is being viewed by some within the party as a potentially positive development that could create room for easing political tensions with the establishment.
No new message directly attributed to Imran Khan has been posted on his personal X account, @ImranKhanPTI, for more than five months.
The last such message was posted on March 21, 2026, after Khan’s sons spoke to him by telephone and subsequently shared a statement on his behalf.
The prolonged silence is considered significant because Khan’s social media account had previously been used frequently for political messaging, including strong criticism of the country’s senior military leadership.
During periods of heightened political confrontation, messages attributed to Khan regularly appeared online and were rapidly amplified through PTI’s official social media network.
Such messages, however, were also seen as contributing to a widening of the divide between PTI and the establishment.
Several figures within PTI who wanted to reduce tensions between Khan and the establishment had reportedly been concerned about messages containing particularly strong criticism of the military leadership.
Tensions became especially pronounced in December 2025, when the military publicly accused Khan of using visitors meeting him in prison and social media to attack the armed forces and create divisions.
Earlier, one of Khan’s sisters had met him in prison and subsequently conveyed his criticism of the military outside the jail. The issue of prison meetings then became a major point of confrontation between PTI and the authorities.
The government’s position was that political discussions were taking place during prison meetings and that Khan was continuing his political activities from jail through people allowed to meet him.
PTI insiders now believe the continued absence of direct messages from Khan could contribute to creating a relatively less confrontational political environment.
According to party sources, a reduction in highly aggressive messaging, particularly criticism directed at the military and its senior leadership, could create some space for political relations between PTI and the establishment to move towards normalisation.
The sources, however, stressed that the development should not be interpreted as evidence of any political agreement or understanding between Imran Khan and the establishment.
They said a calmer messaging environment could merely help create conditions in which a return to normal political engagement becomes possible, provided the trend continues.
The significance of the change is also being viewed in the context of prison meetings with Khan and media briefings that often followed those meetings.
Members of Khan’s family, particularly his sisters, frequently appeared after meeting him in prison and conveyed what they described as his latest political views and positions.
Aleema Khan, in particular, has been among the most prominent voices communicating Imran Khan’s views to the public.
The government and military establishment had strongly objected to this practice, maintaining that political messages were being formulated during prison meetings and then carried outside to intensify political confrontation.
