Rawalpindi:
Aleema Khan, sister of Pakistan Tehreek-E-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, has rejected claims that the former prime minister prevented his children from visiting Pakistan and clarifying that they were unable to travel after losing their national identity cards for overseas Pakistans (Nicops).
“Imran Khan did not prevent his children from coming to Pakistan. This is a lie. They already have Nicop cards, but they were lost. His children have applied for new Nicops and Visa,” Aleema told journalists outside Adiala prison on Saturday.
A day earlier, in a statement shared on X, Aleema revealed that Sulaiman and Kasim had submitted their visa applications a few days ago. She said that the High Commission had confirmed the receipt of the applications and communicated that their approval was pending with the Ministry of Department.
However, Prime Minister of the Domestic Talal Chaudhry has raised questions regarding nationality status for former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s children, citing Aleema’s previous statement that children have national identity cards to overseas Pakistanis (Nicop).
In response to his post on X, Chaudhry said, “You said earlier that the kids are holding Nicops. If it’s true, they don’t require visas to enter Pakistan. If they need Visa, it means they are not ‘Pakistani citizens.’ What is the real truth behind it all?
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Further talking about the case outside the Adiala prison added Aleema that she had the tracking numbers for the visa applications, contradicting the embassy’s officials that no such requests were made.
“It is surprising that the embassy says no applications were filed. A friend called the ambassador who said there was a need for permission from the Ministry of the Interior. I said they should get it from Mohsin Naqvi if necessary. Later. Later.
When asked about Misshal Yousafzai’s appointment as a senator, Aleema said, “I don’t want to waste my time discussing such people. My view is that justice should have been done. If it was about profits, many others besides Unshal Yousafzai are qualified.”
On the broader political climate, Aleema forwarded a message from Imran Khan and said, “First, the mandate was stolen, then democracy was undermined. The media has been silent and after the 26th amendment has been reduced to a state institution without independent authority. The judges now only do what they are told.”
She further criticized Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), where she compared them to the former Q-League and accused them of continuing “loot and plunder.”
When she commented on the security situation in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, she said Imran Khan had sent a message through PTI leader Ali Amin, who opposed a planned operation in the province. She added that Khan believes Pakistan should maintain good relations with Afghanistan as a neighboring country.
Aleema emphasized that PTI’s ongoing movement is not linked to Khan’s children, but to his release. “We are working for our brother’s release. We have come to court for two years. If they want to arrest us, they can. The movement will continue until Imran Khan is free.”
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She ended up criticizing the government for preventing Imran Khan’s sons from entering Pakistan. “Why don’t the government let his sons come? They have to have a visa,” she said.
Earlier this month, Khan’s sister Aleema Khan had told journalists that Sulaiman and Qasim would participate in the protest movement. “They will first go to the United States to raise awareness of the injustices that their father is facing and then participate in the movement in Pakistan,” she had said.
Reports also suggested that the brothers had held meetings with key people in the United States prior to their possible arrival in Pakistan.
However, the issue has also drawn reactions from the government. The Prime Minister’s adviser to political affairs Rana Sanaullah warned that Khan’s sons resident in the United Kingdom with their mother Jemima Goldsmith would be arrested if they participated in the protest.
