Those Imposed on Punjab Came to Power on Establishment’s Shoulders, Junaid Akbar Says
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa President and Member of the National Assembly Junaid Akbar Khan has strongly criticised the Punjab government and the country’s political situation, alleging that those in power in Punjab came to office with the backing of the establishment and therefore had little concern for the public.
Speaking to anchorperson Asma Chaudhry, Junaid Akbar alleged that the Punjab rulers were enjoying government resources, while claiming that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had a genuinely elected government where, according to him, public resources were being protected and there was no such extravagance.
He said he had met PTI founder Imran Khan four times during his imprisonment and was repeatedly surprised by what he described as Khan’s high morale and determination despite facing difficult prison conditions.
According to Junaid Akbar, Imran Khan would reassure visiting party leaders and urge them to remain steadfast in the face of what he described as oppression and fascism. He quoted Khan as saying that such a system of injustice and oppression could not continue for long and that the rule of law would eventually be established in the country.
پنجاب پر مسلط لوگ اسٹیبلشمنٹ کے کندھوں پر چڑھ کر آئے ہیں، اس لیے ان کو عوام کی فکر نہیں ہے اور وہ عیاشیاں کرتے ہیں لیکن خیبرپختونخوا میں عوامی حکومت ہے اور وہاں عیاشیاں نہیں ہوتیں،
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— Ahmad Hassan Bobak (@ahmad__bobak) September 18, 2026
The PTI leader said, in his view, the real concern of the government and political opponents was that they had failed to break Imran Khan’s spirit despite what he described as severe hardships and pressure.
Junaid Akbar claimed that Imran Khan’s conversations and statements in prison were closely recorded. He said that during one of their meetings, Khan told him that he was grateful to Allah for the period of isolation in prison, which had given him an opportunity to learn and understand many things that might not have been possible while outside.
According to Junaid Akbar, Imran Khan also told him that he spent considerable time reflecting on mistakes from his past so that, if he returned to power, he would avoid repeating them in the future.
