Pernah Salahkan Pemecatan Dan Pemenjaraannya, Mantan PM Pakistan Imran Khan Puji Militer

Imran Khan. (Wikimedia Commons/The White House)

JAKARTA - Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Sunday it would be "stupid" if it had no "good" relationship with the military, having previously blamed the military for his 12-month dismissal and imprisonment on charges he called fabricated.

Khan, who is currently serving a prison sentence, has been charged with dozens of charges, including corruption and leaking state secrets.

"Given Pakistan's geographic position and the important role of the military in the private sector, it would be stupid not to nurture such a relationship," Khan wrote in response to a Reuters question.

"We are proud of our army and armed forces," he said.

Khan further said that his criticism since he was ousted was directed at individuals, not the military as an institution.

"Mistakes in the calculation of military leaders should not be directed at institutions as a whole," he explained.

On Wednesday, Khan offered to hold "conditional negotiations" with the military, if a "clean and transparent" general election was held and "fake" cases against his supporters were dropped.

In response, the 71-year-old former cricket star did not mention what he wanted to discuss with the military.

The Pakistani military and government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Khan's remarks to Reuters. Both sides have repeatedly denied his remarks.

The army, which has ruled Pakistan for more than half of its 76-year independence history, played a huge role in the politics and government of the country of 240 million people.

It is known that no Pakistani prime minister has completed a full five-year term, and has mostly served a sentence in prison. Analysts say most of them were released after making a deal with the military, a claim the military denies.

Khan, who lost power in the motion of not believing parliament after clashing with the generals, said the military had supported what he called politically motivated cases against him, which the military denies.

However, he said, "there is nothing wrong" to engage with the generals if he is released from prison and tries to return to power.

"We are open to any dialogue that could help improve the dire situation in Pakistan," he said, adding there was no point in opening such talks with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's coalition government, which he said did not enjoy public support because he claimed the government won the stolen elections in February.

On the other hand, Khan said, it would be "more productive to engage with those who truly hold power".

The military itself, which said Khan and his party were behind attacks on military installations last year during protests widespread against his detention, had previously ruled out any talks with him.

Khan's detention adds to political volatility in Pakistan, which has experienced a prolonged economic crisis and last month received bailout funds from the International Monetary Fund.

The political instability since Khan was ousted from power helped force Islamabad to accept the IMF's fiscal consolidation requirements that have weighed on the people with a large tax, analysts say.

Khan rejected the idea of reaching an out-of-court settlement with the government or the military, unless they accepted that his PTI party had won the majority in February elections.

"The election is the most fraudulent in Pakistan's history," Khan told Reuters.