Islamabad, Pakistan – When Richard Grenell, a close confidante of Donald Trump, the incoming United States president, demanded the release of Pakistan’s jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan last November during protests in Islamabad, the post went viral.In another since-deleted tweet the same day, Grenell wrote, “Watch Pakistan. Their Trump-like leader is in prison on phony charges, and the people have been inspired by the US Red Wave. Stop the political prosecutions around the world!”
With both tweets garnering hundreds of thousands of views, on December 16, a day after Trump nominated him as a presidential envoy for special missions, Grenell repeated his demand for Khan’s release. This time, the post racked up more than 10 million views.
The message gained further momentum when Matt Gaetz, another Republican and a former Trump nominee for attorney general, also wrote, “Free Imran Khan”.
The posts on X (formerly known as Twitter) were seen as a significant boost for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which has been advocating for their leader’s release since August 2023. Advertisement
But many commentators said they were sceptical about this interest in Khan shown by Trump allies translating into meaningful pressure on Pakistan to release the ex-premier. And some pointed out a deep irony in the PTI, the country’s most popular political party, trying to lobby the US for help – less than three years after it accused Washington of a role in Khan’s removal.
Complex relationship
Khan’s govern …
