ISLAMABAD:
Internal differences within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have once again come out into the open, sparked by a violent exchange between the sister of jailed party founder Aleema Khan and PTI senator Mishaal Yousafzai, revealing growing tensions within the ranks.
The conflict spilled into the public domain when Aleema Khan, speaking to the media outside Adiala Prison, criticized Yousafzai.
“I didn’t think Mishaal Yousafzai was sincere or caring towards the party founder,” she said. She alleged a deliberate plot, saying Yousafzai and fellow party leader Sher Afzal Marwat “were given the task of targeting her”.
Aleema Khan’s allegations became more serious, as she accused Yousafzai of leaking Imran Khan’s confidential medical report. “The founder’s medical report was leaked to distract attention from February 8. [protests]”, she said.
In a pointed and sarcastic retort, Senator Yousafzai rejected these comments. She suggested that the video of Aleema Khan’s statement circulating on social media could be generated by AI.
“Aleema Khan, as Imran Khan’s sister, is respectable to me,” Yousafzai said, before adding that Imran Khan had “strictly restricted” Aleema Khan from making statements to the media, only allowing her other sister, Noreen Niazi, to do so.
Yousafzai cited past incidents in which leaked statements or documents attributed to Aleema Khan were later declared false or AI-generated by the party founder himself, including phone screenshots that emerged after an October 4 arrest.
“In light of all these incidents, I also consider the statement that surfaced today to be false or AI-generated,” she said, adding that commenting on the statement was “a waste of time.”
