Incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sisters on Wednesday lashed out at the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership over its alleged failure to take any meaningful steps for the release of their brother.
“Where are [PTI Chairman] Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Latif Khosa and Barrister Ali Zafar missing and why are they not pursuing cases?” questioned Aleema Khan while speaking with journalists outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC), where the sisters were gathered to demonstrate for the early hearing of cases pertaining to their brother.
The demonstration included Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, who attempted to secure a meeting with Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar, but failed to do so. Speaking with media after the failed attempt, he lamented that the IHC CJ had “disrespected” the elected representative of KP.
During her press interaction, Aleema maintained that Khan remained the central figure of the PTI and the country’s politics revolved around him. “We will speak for our brother, no matter what Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi does,” she said, referring to a recent statement in which the federal minister had indicated that the sisters were causing difficulties for Khan.
Aleema also vowed that the sisters would continue speaking for their brother regardless of what the PTI’s leadership says. She lamented that several of the party’s lawyers had become lawmakers, admitting that they owed this to Khan, but had failed to work for his freedom. She claimed her brother had repeatedly directed the lawyers to file legal petitions, but no cases were registered, nor was the legal team present during demonstrations.
Asserting that Khan had described the PTI as an ideological party, she questioned how a single statement from the interior minister had sown divisions within it. “If only a few people stood up and issued statements, it would not harm the party,” she claimed.
Aleema accused the PTI leadership of making decisions without informing the family, maintaining the situation would be better if the family were kept satisfied and informed. She also lashed out the PTI chairman, saying he had failed to get cases fixed before courts despite assuming the top post.
Khan’s sister alleged “everyone” knew who the “traitors” within the PTI were. She further alleged, without offering any evidence, that the doctors who had treated Khan for his eye ailment were under pressure. “We want the party to take action now,” she said.
The incarcerated former prime minister’s sisters are demanding he be granted access to his personal physicians and immediate family members to satisfy them regarding his health. According to a statement issued by the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, he has been administered a second dose of an anti-VEGF intravitreal injection as part of ongoing care for his CRVO diagnosis.