ISLAMABAD: The sisters of incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan on Wednesday ‘charge sheeted’ the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership for their “silence,” and failure to take any meaningful steps towards their brother’s release while citing their absence from the political and legal arenas.
“Where are Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Latif Khosa and Barrister Ali Zafar missing and why are they not pursuing cases?” Aleema Khan said while speaking to journalists outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC), along with Uzma Khan and Noreen Khanum. Uzma said the family often does not even know what is happening in Imran’s cases. “The party leadership is nowhere to be seen and there is complete silence,” she said.
Aleema also claimed that everyone — including social media users and the public — knew who the “traitors” were within the party, adding that the family was fully aware of them and possessed complete information.
Imran’s sisters reached the IHC to inquire about the cases regarding the PTI founder. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi also reached the high court and tried to meet Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar. Imran, 73, has been in jail since August 2023, convicted in a string of cases that he claims were politically driven following his ouster in a 2022 parliamentary vote. The PTI founder’s health has emerged as the latest point of contention between the government and the opposition comprising the PTI and TTAP alliance after a report was submitted to the Supreme Court by his lawyer and SC’s amicus curiae Barrister Salman Safdar. He was transferred to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) in Islamabad on late Monday, where he was administered a second dose of an anti-VEGF intravitreal injection as part of ongoing care for his diagnosed eye condition, the hospital said in the statement.
Speaking to reporters, Aleema noted her brother remained the central figure of national politics and the party itself. “He is our brother, and politics revolves around him. We will speak for our brother, no matter what Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi does,” she said. She added that regardless of what the party leaders may say, the family would continue to raise its voice for her brother.
Aleema also said PTI lawyers had become members of parliament and themselves admitted that the vote belonged to the party founder. She recalled that Imran had once said the PTI was an ideological party, questioning how it could be possible that a single statement against the interior minister could divide the party. “If only a few people stood up and issued statements, it would not harm the party,” she added.
Referring to Naqvi’s remarks, Aleema asked why the party had not responded to his statement in which, she said, he blamed the sisters for the situation.
Aleema said her brother had repeatedly directed party lawyers to file legal petitions, but complained that neither the party chairman nor its lawyers had even managed to get cases registered, and were not visible anywhere. She charged the party leaders of taking decisions on their own, without informing the family, and said that despite claiming to value Imran’s life, the leadership maintain contacts with Naqvi but failed to share information with the family. “If the family had been kept satisfied and informed, the situation would have been better,” she said, calling it shameful that party leaders alone continued contacting government circles. Coming down strongly against Barrister Gohar’s performance as party chairman, she said that even after assuming the post, he has failed to get cases fixed before the Supreme Court and high courts. Aleema Khan said that the party was as relaxed as if the founder’s treatment has already been done. “We are not seeing anything happening from PTI’s side on the founder’s health. Enough is enough. Those who cannot carry the burden of the founder’s narrative should step aside.” She alleged that government doctors were being pressurised and stressed that the family’s own doctors should be allowed to remain present. “We want the party to take action now,” she said. She added that no action or decision relating to Imran’s health could be taken without her consultation. She demanded that the leadership explain why they were silent and where they stood today.
Aleema said they learnt from Naqvi on that day that Barrister Gohar was going to visit the jail, questioning whether the family would now receive information about their own relatives from the interior minister or from their own party.
In his reaction, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan told the media outside the Supreme Court that the party’s only demand was to have cases against founder Imran Khan fixed for hearing and decided based on justice. “Even in Ramazan, we are standing before the Supreme Court and the high court. The cases that are under hearing in the court should be decided, and those not fixed should be taken up for hearing and decided,” he said. Gohar said the party has approached the IHC for the 17th time today and the Supreme Court 14 times in pursuit of justice.
The chairman pointed out that an application has been submitted regarding meetings of lawyers, family members and doctors with the PTI founder. He noted that Members of Parliament contacted the Registrar of the Supreme Court and submitted the application.
Latif Khosa, he noted, has submitted an application to the Supreme Court requesting the apex court to schedule a hearing on a case related to the health of PTI founder. Gohar also said that the Supreme Court responded positively, indicating that the petition would be scheduled for hearing. He added that while the Al-Qadir and Toshakhana cases were being heard in the HC, they have not yet been scheduled for proceedings there.
Separately, speaking to the media outside the IHC, KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi said that he greeted the chief justice in open court but even after waiting for an hour and a half, the chief minister of a province received no response. He said that since a meeting could not be arranged with the IHC chief justice, he went to the open court, approached the rostrum and extended greetings but received no response.
Afridi said a request for a medical examination was also submitted to doctors at Shaukat Khanum Hospital, but it was not approved. “We want to show that the PTI does not engage in agitation or anarchic politics. We protest peacefully after exhausting all options, which is our right,” he emphasised.
Meanwhile, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said efforts are being made to allow doctors and family access to the party founder, and applications were also filed for a medical examination but could not be heard. “The IHC is a closed door for us,” he contended. He recalled that the court had ordered two meetings weekly—one day fixed for meetings with lawyers and another for family. When the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister appeared in court along with the jail superintendent, he was asked to arrange a meeting. “We went on the same day but the meeting was not arranged,” he regretted. Salman Akram Raja claimed that a contempt of court petition was also filed but not fixed for hearing, contending that while petitions can be filed, they are not heard, prompting the party to approach the Supreme Court.
He said a case against the PTI founder regarding the ‘X’ account is scheduled for hearing. In this case too, the court issued instructions for a meeting with the PTI founder. “I was not allowed to meet the founder, but the court moved forward with proceedings in this case as well. The court is saying that we should file a response and argue without a meeting,” he maintained.
Meanwhile, according to PTI sources, the government had agreed in principle recently to shift the jailed PTI founder to a hospital for eye treatment, but disagreement over the name of doctor(s) stymied the move. The sources noted that the opposition had demanded Imran be kept at Shifa Hospital for at least 10 days, to which the government agreed—until treatment is completed. However, the government attached a condition that information about the treatment would not be disclosed and workers would not be mobilised in connection with their leader’s hospitalisation.
“Arrangements had been made for the party founder’s transfer to the hospital on the intervening night of Friday and Saturday. Vehicles were ready, as was the party leadership. In the meantime, Imran Khan’s sisters were contacted and names were sought from the family. The names of Dr Asim and Dr Uzma were given by his sisters, but the government did not accept them, upon which the name of Dr Burki was proposed by his sisters,” the sources said. According to party sources, the government also rejected Dr Burki’s name, which angered Imran Khan’s sisters. They were then told that the government had proposed the name of Qasim Zaman. However, Qasim Zaman himself and the sisters expressed concern over the nominee.
At that point, the government conveyed on Sunday night that the hospital transfer was no longer possible. Meanwhile, the party leadership met the PIMS doctors after affirming on oath that details of the meeting would not be made public.
Meanwhile, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday maintained that Imran Khan could be shifted to a hospital if the court orders.
Speaking on Geo News programme Capital Talk, Sanaullah said a five-member medical panel examined Imran twice at the Central Jail in Rawalpindi, adding that if the PTI is not satisfied with the treatment, it should approach the Supreme Court.
Sanaullah said that when the meetings between the jailed PTI founder and party leaders were restricted after “violations of jail rules” by the PTI leadership and his family, rumours were spread claiming Imran was unwell. In order to clear the air, a meeting was arranged between the PTI founder and his sister at the jail, he added.
The PMLN leader said that the PTI leadership was trying to create an issue in connection with Imran’s illness and exploit it. “If doctors are allowed to meet the PTI founder and they make any inappropriate statement afterwards, who would be held responsible?” asked the PMLN leader.
Speaking on the same show, PTI parliamentary leader in the National Assembly, Shahid Khattak urged the PMLN-led government to shift the ailing former prime minister to hospital.
“The PTI founder should be examined in the presence of his personal physician,” he said, adding that at least one of the founder’s sisters should be present during the examination.
Responding to Sanaullah’s remarks, the PTI leader assured him that Imran’s personal physician would not make any statement if he is allowed to meet the jailed PTI founder.
