Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, jailed since August 2023 on various corruption charges he dismisses as politically motivated, compared himself to U.S. President Donald Trump in an interview with Fox News Digital on Sunday.
“The world today needs steadfast leadership that champions peace, democracy, and human rights, and I hope that his leadership can contribute to that vision,” Khan said of Trump.
Khan was the prime minister of Pakistan from 2018 to 2022, when he was ousted by a vote of no confidence from Parliament. He attempted a political comeback immediately, including a cross-country barnstorming tour during which the former cricket star was shot in the leg.
Far more devastating than the would-be assassin’s bullet were the hundred-plus criminal charges pressed against Khan, most of them pertaining to various forms of corruption or abuse of power during his prime ministerial term. Huge protests by supporters from his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party thwarted the first few attempts to arrest him, but he was eventually jailed for at least 14 years on corruption charges.
Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi led massive protests to demand his freedom last November but was herself jailed on corruption charges in January.
Despite all of this, Khan – who has reinvented himself as a fiery Islamist populist and sworn enemy of the Pakistani military and political establishment – remains one of the most popular political figures in Pakistan, while the establishment only prevented his PTI party from taking control of Parliament by placing some very heavy thumbs on the electoral scale.
Speaking from prison through several spokespersons, Khan told Fox News Digital that he saw similarities between his own situation and the Biden administration’s unsuccessful efforts to keep Trump out of the White House with relentless lawfare.
Khan went further and drew parallels between Trump’s “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) political movement and his own “Naya Pakistan” or “New Pakistan” agenda. He noted that PTI, like the Republican Party under Trump, has created a broad coalition of voters by campaigning against a corrupt and incompetent establishment.
“PTI resonates with people from all walks of life – rural and urban, middle class and marginalized – and it’s because our policies prioritize inclusion, merit and justice,” he said.
“We represent all provinces, castes, and religions, ensuring that every voice has a place in shaping Pakistan’s future. This inclusivity is what makes us the largest national party, uniting Pakistan under the principles of equity and fairness,” he continued.
Khan said Trump’s economic agenda would benefit Pakistan as well.
“Economic diplomacy will be central to my approach. Pakistan is rich in natural resources, yet we have barely scratched the surface of our potential in agriculture, industrialization, and IT. These sectors hold immense promise, both domestically and globally,” he said.
“Rather than relying on handouts, we must focus on self-sufficiency and leveraging our strengths to build sustainable economic relationships. With a population of 250 million, what succeeds internally can and should be positioned globally, creating opportunities for trade and investment that benefit the nation and our international partners alike,” he argued.
These comments are perhaps just a bit more Trumpy than Khan’s previous positions on the economy. During his barnstorming tour in 2023, he was more interested in raising taxes, increasing social welfare spending, and convincing Pakistanis living abroad to send more of their money home. His enthusiasm for ending Pakistan’s reliance upon humiliating foreign bailout systems like the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was evident both then and now, however.
Khan told Fox News Digital that PTI’s populist energy would inevitably overwhelm the political establishment, leading to a ballot box revolution on par with the one America experienced in November 2024.
“The people of Pakistan have never been more awake or more determined. They see with clarity what is happening to their nation, and they understand the forces at play,” he said.
“I firmly believe that truth and justice will ultimately prevail. And as long as I have breath, I will continue to fight for this cause and for a Pakistan that reflects the will and aspirations of its people,” he vowed.
Fox News Digital pointed out that some of Khan’s empathy for the Trump administration appears to have been returned. Trump adviser Richard Grenell became a hero to many PTI supporters by posting “Free Imran Khan!” and describing him as a “Trump-like leader” on social media.
Grenell said Khan was “in prison on phony charges,” and described the Naya Pakistan movement as “inspired by the U.S. Red Wave.” No one in Khan’s inner circle seems inclined to dispute that characterization at the moment.
Grenell also turned some heads by urging Trump’s billionaire supporter and adviser Elon Musk to make his Starlink Internet system available in Pakistan. Many PTI supporters are poorly educated and live in rural areas. Giving them more unfettered access to the Internet could turbocharge their already impressive ability to organize.
Of course, the obvious reason for Khan and his party to embrace Trump would be to persuade the American president to pressure Pakistan to let Khan out of jail. Some PTI leaders told Al Jazeera News in December that Trump’s victory in November “put pressure on the Pakistani government” immediately.
“Several factors, including the persistent protests by party supporters and fears of external pressure from the incoming U.S. administration, amplified by the efforts of the party’s overseas chapter in the U.S., have compelled the government to initiate meaningful dialogue with us,” a PTI leader said.
Another factor in the Khan-Trump synergy is that PTI leaders detested Joe Biden and his administration, blaming them for masterminding the parliamentary vote that pushed Khan out of office in 2022.
A secret diplomatic cable from March 2022, leaked in August 2023, revealed the Biden team was unhappy with Khan for failing to denounce Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The document ostensibly caught the Biden State Department telling Pakistan’s ambassador that it would best for everyone if the “no-confidence vote against the Prime Minister succeeds.”
Khan said at the time that he felt he had a “perfectly good relationship” with the first Trump administration and was surprised at how the Biden team worked to undermine him.
The government of sitting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has been adamant that Khan’s imprisonment is an internal matter that will not be affected by pressure from the United States. While many of the charges against Khan have been dismissed or defeated in court over the past two years, prosecutors say the cases that finally landed him in jail were ironclad.
Pakistani information minister Ata Ullah Tararin told Fox News Digital that Khan and Bibi are currently in jail for “one of the biggest corruption cases in the history of Pakistan,” a “mega scam” for which “irrefutable evidence” was presented to the court.
“PTI’s hopes are unrealistic. The Trump administration, even if inclined to pressure Pakistan, would likely prioritize financial leverage, not the release or return of Khan to power,” former Pakistani defense and foreign minister Khurram Dastgir-Khan told the New York Times (NYT) in January.
The NYT archly noted that PTI was rather anti-American in its overall posture until it suddenly became convinced Trump might spring Khan from jail, while Trump has been quite tough on Pakistan, accusing its government of supporting terrorism and Islamist extremism. PTI is apparently willing to believe all of Trump’s criticism was directed against the establishment they hate, not the jailed former cricket star they love.