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ISLAMABAD —Richard Grenell, a close confidant of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump, has garnered substantial media and political attention in Pakistan due to his persistent social media posts advocating for the release of the country's former prime minister, Imran Khan.
The situation escalated on November 26 when the Pakistani government unleashed a violent crackdown in Islamabad to disperse opposition protesters who were demanding Khan's release. This prompted Grenell to express his support on the social media platform X, tweeting, "Free Imran Khan!"
Although his initial post received limited attention, it was amplified by Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, party and its supporters on December 15, when Trump appointed Grenell as his special envoy for global missions in the incoming administration.
Pakistan's prominent Geo News channel, often accused of serving as a mouthpiece for the country's military establishment, responded to Grenell's selection with a headline on X reading, "Trump appoints homosexual Richard Grenell as special envoy."
In response, the U.S. envoy-designate reiterated his message by stating, "I'll say it again. Free Imran Khan," and noted in a subsequent post that his previous tweet had garnered 10 million views.
Grenell has held several prominent positions, including U.S. ambassador to Germany, special presidential envoy for Serbia and Kosovo peace negotiations, and acting director of national intelligence during the first Trump administration from 2017 to 2021. His pro-Khan tweets have led to speculation regarding their potential implications for 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 endeavors while others cautioning that it could eventually influence the new administration's interactions with Islamabad.
Some critics in Pakistan even questioned the authenticity of his X account. Grenell promptly responded to the skepticism by tweeting, "How do I even prove I'm real?" He issued his latest pro-Khan tweet on Saturday in response to concerns Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin expressed on X about the 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 uphold Pakistan's democracy," Slotkin wrote.
Khan, viewed as the most popular Pakistani politician, has been imprisoned since August 2023 on various charges, including corruption and treason. He contends that the legal proceedings against him are politically motivated attempts to prevent him from returning to power due to his vocal criticisms of military involvement in civilian governance.
The coalition government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, believed to have military backing, disputes these allegations, encouraging Khan to prove his innocence in court rather than leveling what it calls baseless charges.
Khan and independent analysts maintain that his PTI party would have won a significant majority in the February 2024 parliamentary election if not for alleged electoral rigging facilitated by the military to pave the way for Sharif's party to form the government.
PTI candidates and supporters faced state-sponsored crackdowns leading up to the polls, forcing key party leaders and candidates into hiding and rounding up hundreds of others, which critics said effectively undermined their election campaign.
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 U.S. troops in August 2021.
Khan issued a statement from prison through his X account following Trump's election victory last month, expressing congratulations on behalf of himself and his party.
"President-Elect Trump will be good for Pak-US relations based on mutual respect for democracy & human rights. We hope he will push for peace, human rights, and democracy globally," the former Pakistani leader stated.
Khan's critics, including the Sharif government, have criticized him and his party for seeking U.S. intervention in domestic politics, recalling his consistent opposition to any external 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 orchestrated by the Pakistani military at the behest of the United States, charges army officials and Washington denied.