Former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema, had eggs hurled at her outside Adiala Jail on Friday, with police claiming the assailants were employees of the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government.
Aleema, alongside several PTI workers, was about to address media when the eggs were thrown at her. She had just attended a hearing of the Toshakhana case and briefly spoke with media after the incident before departing the jail premises. .
“We don’t care if anyone attacks us as we knew this would happen,” she said after the assault, as other PTI workers protested against the incident. Police said they detained the girls who allegedly flung the eggs, and shifted them to the Adiala police post for questioning.
Following the interrogation, police claimed the women were part of a group of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government employees who had reached Adiala Jail to protest against Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur over a delay in the release of their salaries and other irregularities.
“People from KP All Government Employees Grand Alliance and APCA had come to protest,” the police told media, adding the two women who targeted Aleema had accompanied them.
In a statement, PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan condemned the incident, claiming it was an attempt to “worsen the situation” by targeting Imran Khan’s family. “This is the first time that the matter has reached the point of physical attack,” he claimed, and sought foolproof security for the PTI founder’s family.
During her brief interaction with media, Aleema said she had informed her brother of the various reports about his health. She said he had told her he was perfectly healthy and had no complaints. She said Khan had expressed grief over the devastation caused by the ongoing floods and urged the nation to unite to aid those affected by the situation.
She also said the former prime minister had expressed sorrow over the forced eviction of Afghans from Pakistan, describing them as “our brothers.”