The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Monday announced it will soon launch a “countrywide movement” for “rule of law” and securing the release of party founder Imran Khan.
In a post on X, PTI Senator Ali Zafar said he had met with Khan for six hours and been instructed to prepare for a nationwide mobilization. “Some very important matters were discussed. Amongst them was a countrywide movement for which the party should prepare and be well-organized,” he said, warning Khan had said there no longer any room in the party for anyone playing “both sides.”
He said Khan had instructed everyone to “stand united for the cause of truth and justice.”
Quoting his discussion with Khan, Zafar added: “I am bearing all the hardship in jail for the sake of the nation, and PTI leadership should not be scared of sacrifice.”
Similarly, Khan’s sister Aleema Khanum who also met the incarcerated former prime minister at Adiala Jail, said her brother had instructed party leaders to prepare for a mass protest. “Imran Khan issued instructions to get the party ready,” she said. “He said ‘I will not call anybody to Islamabad, since they [authorities] sit with sniper rifles and people get shot … it brings me great pain, I will not do this,’” she said, suggesting the party is no longer planning any “long march” to Islamabad as it has in the past.
According to Aleema, Khan has only spoken to his children once in the past eight months and is not provided books sent by his family. “Even if I am kept in jail for life, I will not bow down,” she quoted him as saying.
Former Prime Minister Khan has been imprisoned at Adiala Jail for over two years following his convictions in four cases. His wife, Bushra Bibi, is also jailed after her conviction in the Toshakhana case. The party has launched several unsuccessful marches to secure his release, with the most recent occurring in November 2024.