Our father lived in Pakistan - away from us - for most of our lives. Not because he had to, but because he chose to stand up against a corrupt regime. While he wasn’t there every day as a father, Pakistan had him as a leader. He gave his country everything: hospitals, universities, and a movement for justice.
He’s been offered the chance to spend the rest of his days in comfort - going on walks or playing cricket with us in England. Instead, he chooses to remain locked away in a dark prison cell.
His sacrifice is for Pakistan.
His strength comes from its people.
Eid Mubarak to my Pakistanis.
This is the most painful Eid for me.
Around 10,000 of our workers and supporters are jailed and being treated as criminals for exercising their constitutional right to protest peacefully.
Our brave leaders including women leaders, Dr Yasmin Rashid and Aliya Hamza are in jail and refusing to leave PTI.
16 of our workers shot dead and 8 others suspected to have been killed but cannot be confirmed because relatives have gone underground because of the fear of police.
50 others suffered bullet wounds.
Shockingly no mention of the use of this excessive force by security forces on unarmed protesters. And no independent investigation to ascertain what really happened on 9th May.
Instead, by peddling a one sided anti-PTI official narrative, a reign of terror has been unleashed on anyone associated with the party with only one aim to dismantle it before elections.
InshAllah PTI and the nation will come out of this dark phase much stronger.
Also, there's been a total clampdown on media with all those critical of this fascist government facing its wrath.
Imran Riaz Khan has been abducted and his whereabouts unknown for over 40 days now, and 5 of our respected journalists who have had to flee the country, we remember them too on this Eid.
Imran Khan writes from prison: 1/n
Whether elections happen or not, the manner in which I and my party have been targeted since a farcical vote of no confidence in April 2022 has made one thing clear: the establishment—the army, security agencies and the civil bureaucracy—is not prepared to provide any playing field at all, let alone a level one, for PTI.
The official distance of a marathon is exactly 26.2189 miles, or 42.195 kilometres.
Why so specific?
It's a rather strange story which begins nearly two and a half thousand years ago...
Respect your elders. Wali Shigar may be the most accomplished Karakoram adventurer in history. I first noticed him because the younger Pakistani climbers on my team went to him to talk in the evenings, they shared tea and listened to him. Then they went back the next night to him. And then again.
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I look for patterns in people. After a few more days of observing I went and introduced myself. In Urdu, I asked him his name and where he was from. Then I asked how many years he had gone onto the glaciers of Baltistan. He looked into the distance, and then he looked down and thought more.
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Finally he replied to me, “thirty four years”. He does six to seven expeditions a year, which equates to roughly two hundred and thirty eight trips into the mountains. Wali Shigar works as a porter nowadays. He and his colleagues are the reason local and foreign climbers & skiers are able to stand on lofty summits such as K2, the Ogre, Nanga Parbat, the Trango towers, Broad Peak, Laila Peak, Gasherbrum I & II, and Kunyang Chhish.
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Wali showed no indication of stopping what he does. He is an inspiration and a powerful human being. This was three weeks ago. It’s likely Wali is out somewhere in the Karakoram today, smiling and laughing as I watched him do every day while I was in his presence.