Jailed former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday offered conditional talks with the military, saying he has been convicted on false charges to keep him out of power. Although Imran did not clarify what he wanted to discuss, he said a condition for talks was that clean and transparent elections be held and false cases against his supporters be withdrawn.

He has appointed Mahmood Khan Achakzai, a close aide and well-known critic of the army, as his representative. In response to Imran Khan’s offer, the army released a clip of a May 7 media conference in which its spokesperson said that it is not possible to sit with any political ideology, any leader or any party that is involved in attacks on its own army.

Earlier on Tuesday, he had expressed his desire to hold talks with the army. Imran is surrounded by difficulties due to many allegations leveled against him as well as his wife and senior party leaders. Talking to reporters during the hearing of a case against him in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, Imran expressed his desire to hold talks with the army and clarified that he never accused the army, but gave constructive criticism.

According to a report in ‘The Express Tribune’ newspaper, cricketer-turned-politician Khan compared the army to a spoilt child at home and said that just like a spoilt child is criticised, the army is also criticised and criticism is the essence of democracy.

Khan said this at a time when his wife Bushra Bibi was named as a suspect in 11 cases on Tuesday. These cases also include a case of attack on Army Headquarters on May 9 last year.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder also approached the anti-terrorism court and sought bail in 12 cases related to the May 9 riots last year.

Khan has been lodged in Rawalpindi’s high-security Adiala jail for the past one year after being convicted in multiple cases. His wife Bushra Bibi is also lodged in jail with him.