Pakistan Warns Imran Khan of Possible Treason Charge Amid Deepening Army Confrontation

Pakistan’s political crisis deepened this week as the Shehbaz Sharif government warned former prime minister Imran Khan that treason charges—punishable by death or life imprisonment—cannot be ruled out. The warning was issued by senior PML-N leader and government advisor Rana Sanaullah, who cautioned PTI leaders that dismissing the threat could lead to “serious consequences.”

The escalation comes days after Pakistan’s military spokesperson and ISPR chief Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry labelled Khan “anti-army” and a “national security threat.” His remarks followed a wave of tensions inside and outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, where police blocked Khan’s sisters from meeting him despite a court order.

Political analysts, including Zahid Hussain writing in Dawn, argue that branding political rivals as traitors has long been a hallmark of Pakistan’s power struggles — and Khan is the latest on that list.

Under Pakistani law, treason includes suspending or subverting the Constitution. Former military ruler Pervez Musharraf was convicted under the same provision in 2019. Sanaullah said the ISPR’s message was “clear” and fully backed by PM Sharif’s administration, adding that Khan’s social media posts and PTI rallies were being viewed as incitement.

The confrontation is occurring against a backdrop of unprecedented militarisation of power under Field Marshal Asim Munir, whose 27th Amendment has granted him sweeping authority, immunity, and lifetime control over Pakistan’s armed forces. Meanwhile, insurgent violence in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is rising sharply.

Imran Khan, jailed since August 2023, already faces a 14-year sentence in the Al-Qadir Trust case and charges in the Cipher case. His long-running feud with Munir — dating back to Khan removing him as ISI chief in 2019 — has now evolved into a full-blown struggle that is pushing Pakistan into one of its most volatile phases in decades.