Why are Donald Trump’s allies cheering for Pakistan’s Imran Khan?

From Richard Grenell to Matt Gaetz, their comments reflect overseas PTI campaigning for Khan’s release. But analysts are unsure that the strategy will work.

Islamabad, Pakistan – When Richard Grenell, a close confidante of Donald Trump, the incoming United States president, demanded the release of Pakistan’s jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan last November during protests in Islamabad, the post went viral.

In another since-deleted tweet the same day, Grenell wrote, “Watch Pakistan. Their Trump-like leader is in prison on phony charges, and the people have been inspired by the US Red Wave. Stop the political prosecutions around the world!”

With both tweets garnering hundreds of thousands of views, on December 16, a day after Trump nominated him as a presidential envoy for special missions, Grenell repeated his demand for Khan’s release. This time, the post racked up more than 10 million views.

The message gained further momentum when Matt Gaetz, another Republican and a former Trump nominee for attorney general, also wrote, “Free Imran Khan”.

The posts on X (formerly known as Twitter) were seen as a significant boost for Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, which has been advocating for their leader’s release since August 2023.

But many commentators said they were sceptical about this interest in Khan shown by Trump allies translating into meaningful pressure on Pakistan to release the ex-premier. And some pointed out a deep irony in the PTI, the country’s most popular political party, trying to lobby the US for help – less than three years after it accused Washington of a role in Khan’s removal.

Khan’s government was removed from office in April 2022 through a parliamentary no-confidence vote after nearly