RAWALPINDI:
Aleema Khan, sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, said on Friday that her brother had made it clear that he had no choice but to take his fate to international organisations.
Speaking to reporters after a meeting with Imran in Adiala jail, Aleema Khan said that despite his incarceration, the PTI founder remained under the full control of the party.
She defended PTI leader Salman Akram Raja amid heavy criticism within the party.
Aleema said the PTI founder had given clear instructions on how to manage his social media account. She added that Raja was appointed by Imran and did exactly what was asked of him by the party founder.
“Imran Khan said we went to the Islamabad High Court [IHC] and the Supreme Court too, but no one is ready to listen to us. We now have no choice but to take our cause to the international level. We will approach all international institutions,” she said, quoting Imran.
Speaking about the pending judgment in the £190 million referral, Aleema Khan questioned how Imran Khan could remain in prison when other cases against him had failed to stand up in the High Court. “Imran Khan says he will face his cases in court and will not make any deal for his release,” she said.
She also criticized the delay in announcing the £190 million verdict. “Have they forgotten how to write,” she said sarcastically. “Imran’s only crime was providing free education to 250 children,” she added.
She mocked Prime Minister Advisor Rana Sanaullah’s statement that Aleema had started taking over the PTI. “At least he [Rana] and the establishment are on the same wavelength,” she quipped. “Since February 8, the PTI is not under anyone’s control, but Imran Khan is running it from prison,” a- she declared.
“PTI founder gives instructions on how to use his Twitter [now X] account. This is a big responsibility, we will fulfill it. He [PTI founder] does not hold any position within the party but he leads the party from prison. Everything has been decided in Adiala prison and is still in progress,” she added.
Aleema said they promised to protect the PTI founder and would bring to light whatever was done to him. She accused prison authorities of restricting access to the PTI founder.
Talks with government
Speaking separately to the media, PTI lawyer Shoaib Shaheen said Imran believed that negotiations should take place with those who hold real power. He added that when the government did not have the authority, “why are they sitting with him in the negotiations?”
Shaheen said the government claimed the economy had improved and more than 10 million people had fallen below the poverty line. The PTI founder, he said, stressed that the rule of law was essential to improve the economy.
“Does it take a year to form a judicial commission to thoroughly investigate the November 26 incident?” asked Shaheen, referring to one of the two demands made by the PTI during talks with the government.
The other demand was the release of PTI workers and leaders, including Imran.
When asked further about the government-PTI talks, Shoaib Shaheen said that the spokesperson of “our negotiating committee is Sahibzada Hamid Raza; therefore, Raza speaks about what needs to be said regarding negotiations.”
