Richard Grenell, President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for envoy on special missions, has revealed that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan maintained a “very good relationship” with Trump during his first term as US president. Speaking to Newsmax TV on Tuesday, Grenell emphasized the strong ties between Khan, who served as Pakistan’s prime minister from 2018 to 2022, and the former US president.
The statement comes amidst growing speculation among PTI supporters—albeit without official confirmation—that Trump could potentially intervene to help Khan, who is currently imprisoned on corruption charges. While no official statements have been made, Grenell’s remarks sparked hope among Khan’s fanbase that the Republican leader might assist in securing the release of the PTI supremo.
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Echoing his previous support for Khan, Grenell urged the outgoing Biden administration to take action to secure Khan’s release before its term ends. He drew parallels between Khan’s imprisonment and that of Trump, claiming that both leaders were victims of politically motivated corruption allegations. “He’s currently in prison, a lot of the same allegations just like President Trump where the ruling party put him in prison and created some kind of corruption allegations, false allegations,” Grenell stated.
Grenell also criticized the Biden administration for neglecting issues related to Pakistan during its tenure, calling for progress in addressing Pakistan’s political situation. Referring to a recent statement by State Department Spokesman Matthew Miller on concerns over civilian trials in Pakistani military courts, Grenell bluntly suggested that the US government should simply advocate for Khan’s release, saying, “Why don’t you just say this, instead of pretending that you care about all these processes… just say what you mean, which is to let the guy out of prison.”
