ISLAMABAD:
Internal differences within the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have again come into the open, sparked by a sharp exchange between the jailed party founder’s sister, Aleema Khan, and PTI Senator Mishaal Yousafzai, revealing deeper tensions within the ranks.
The conflict spilled into the public domain when Aleema Khan, speaking to the media outside the Adiala jail, criticized Yousafzai.
“I did not believe that Mishaal Yousafzai was sincere or benevolent towards the party founder,” she said. Alleging a deliberate conspiracy, she claimed that Yousafzai and party leader Sher Afzal Marwat “have been tasked to attack her”.
Aleema Khan’s allegations became more serious when she accused Yousafzai of leaking Imran Khan’s confidential medical report. “The founder’s medical report was leaked to divert attention from February 8 [protests]”, she claimed.
In a pointed and sarcastic retort, Senator Yousafzai rejected the remarks. She suggested that the video of Aleema Khan’s statement circulating on social media could be AI-generated.
“Aleema Khan, as Imran Khan’s sister, is respectable to me,” Yousafzai said, before adding that Imran Khan had “strictly stopped” Aleema Khan from making media statements, allowing only his other sister, Noreen Niazi, to do so.
Yousafzai cited previous incidents where statements or leaked material attributed to Aleema Khan were later declared false or AI-generated by the party founder herself, including phone screenshots that emerged after an October 4 arrest.
“In light of all these incidents, I also consider the statement that appeared today to be false or AI-generated,” she said, adding that commenting on it was a “waste of time”.
