Trump’s choice for special mission envoy shaken by Khan’s pro-tweet, Pakistan’s political atmosphere shaken
Richard Grenell, a close confidant of US President-elect Donald Trump, has attracted substantial media and political attention in Pakistan due to his frequent social media posts advocating the release of the country’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The situation deteriorated on 26 November when the Pakistani government took violent action in Islamabad to disperse opposition protesters who were demanding Khan’s release. This prompted Grenell to express his support on social media platform X, tweeting, “Free Imran Khan!”
Although his initial post received limited attention, it was heightened by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf or PTI party and its supporters on December 15, when Trump nominated Grenell to be his special envoy for global missions in the incoming administration. Appointed.
Pakistan’s flagship Geo News channel, which is often accused of serving as a mouthpiece of the country’s military establishment, reacted to Grenell’s selection with an X-headline reading, “Trump gives gay Richard Grenell special treatment.” Appointed as messenger.”
In response, the US envoy-designate reiterated his message, saying, “I will say it again. Free Imran Khan,” and wrote in a later post that his previous tweet had received 10 million views.
Grenell has served in a number of senior positions, including US Ambassador to Germany, Special Presidential Envoy for Serbia and Kosovo peace talks, and Acting Director of National Intelligence during the first Trump administration from 2017 to 2021. His pro-Khan tweets have given rise to speculations about him. Potential impact on Pakistan’s political landscape.
Commentators on Pakistani television talk shows have addressed Grenell’s tweets, with some dismissing his social media engagement as mere publicity-seeking efforts, while others warn that it could ultimately lead to the new administration’s relationship with Islamabad. Can affect the conversation.
Some critics in Pakistan also questioned the authenticity of his X account. Grenell quickly responded to the skepticism by tweeting, “How do I prove I’m real?” He issued his latest pro-Khan tweet on Saturday in response to concerns expressed on Twitter about deadly opposition protests in the Pakistani capital last month.
“Pakistani authorities must protect citizens’ rights to free speech and peaceful assembly, hold violators accountable, and preserve Pakistan’s democracy,” Slotkin wrote.
Khan, considered the most popular Pakistani politician, is in jail since August 2023 on various charges including corruption and treason. He argues that the legal proceedings against him are a politically motivated attempt to prevent him from returning to power because of his vocal criticism of military involvement in civilian rule.
The coalition government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, which is believed to have military support, disputes the allegations, encouraging Khan to prove his innocence in court rather than make baseless allegations.
Khan and independent analysts say his PTI party would have won a significant majority in the February 2024 parliamentary election had it not been for alleged election rigging by the military to pave the way for Sharif’s party to form a government.
PTI candidates and supporters faced a state-sponsored crackdown ahead of the election, forcing prominent party leaders and candidates into hiding and hundreds of others rounded up, which critics say may have jeopardized their election. The campaign was affected.
During his tenure from 2018 to 2022, Khan and his government played a key role in facilitating peace talks between the then Trump administration and Taliban insurgents in Afghanistan, ultimately contributing to the withdrawal of US troops in August 2021.
After Trump’s election victory last month, Khan issued a statement from jail through his X account, in which he expressed congratulations on behalf of himself and his party.
“President-elect Trump will be good for Pak-US relations based on mutual respect for democracy and human rights. The former Pakistani leader said, “We hope that he will emphasize on peace, human rights and democracy at the global level.”
Khan’s critics, including the Sharif government, have criticized him and his party for seeking US interference in domestic politics, while recalling his consistent opposition to any outside interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs.
The former prime minister was ousted through an opposition parliamentary no-confidence vote in April 2022. Khan rejected the vote as illegal, saying it was carried out by the Pakistani military at the behest of the United States, a charge denied by military officials and Washington.