United States President-elect Donald Trump’s newly appointed envoy for special missions, Richard Grenell, has called for the immediate release of former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan.
Reacting to news of his appointment, Grenell shared his stance on X (formerly Twitter), stating, “I will say it again. Free Imran Khan.”
This unexpected remark from a key member of Trump’s team quickly captured attention, sparking widespread discussion, particularly among Imran Khan’s supporters.
Under Grenell’s post, the comments section has been flooded with calls for the release of the former Prime Minister, who has been imprisoned since 2023.
Who is Richard Grenell?
The new envoy is gay, his current partner name is Matt Lashey.
Richard served as an ambassador to Germany and acting director of national intelligence.
He also spent eight years as the spokesperson for the US at the UN during the George W Bush administration.
Grenell really wanted to be secretary of state, however, the post was passed over for Republican US Senator Marco Rubio which upset him.
As ambassador to Germany, his partisan rhetoric alienated European allies. As acting intelligence director, he oversaw the declassification of documents to support Trump’s claims of a “deep state” conspiracy.
His business dealings, including a $500 million hotel project in Serbia with Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner drew criticism over potential conflicts of interest.
Imran Khan and Trump
Since the re-election of Trump as US President, Imran Khan’s supporters hope that the new president would find the time to post something bringing attention to Khan’s plight.
Khan’s supporters are critical of the US Democratic Party, President Joe Biden in particular, who they say did not want Khan at the helm. They believe Khan’s troubles started with Republican Donald Trump’s defeat in the 2020.
During his presidency, Trump maintained good ties with Khan. The two leaders met in Washington and exchanged compliments during their meeting.
It is pertinent to mention that Trump and Khan share a similar leadership style. Both are populist politicians and are considered “political outsiders” in their respective countries.
A claim was made by former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) member Fayyaz ul Hassan Chohan that Trump refused to tweet about Imran Khan.
