ISLAMABAD:
A hush-hush meeting between senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has sparked a debate over possible back channel contacts between the opposition party and the ruling party and also raised questions about internal communication and coordination within the party after it emerged that party founding chairman Imran Khan’s family had no prior knowledge of the engagement.
A post circulated on X Sunday initially claimed that Imran’s sister Aleema Khan was present during a meeting involving PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi with the Home Minister.
Aleema Khan quickly denied the claim of X, clarifying that no member of Imran Khan’s family was present at the meeting and that the family had not been informed in advance. However, her denial inadvertently confirmed the meeting’s existence, setting off a chain of inquiries that brought the meeting into public focus.
Rumors of a meeting between Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and the Home Minister at the former’s residence had been circulating for several days, though neither PTI nor Barrister Gohar had confirmed it during that period.
The matter remained publicly unaddressed until Aleema Khan’s statement brought it into the limelight, after which Sohail Afridi’s name also surfaced in connection with the meeting and was later acknowledged by PTI’s top leadership in response to queries.
The Express Pakinomist contacted lawyer Gohar Ali Khan to confirm the reported meeting and its agenda. He confirmed that the meeting had taken place and reiterated that no member of Imran Khan’s family was present. However, he did not respond to further questions regarding the agenda or detailed discussion points.
Separately, PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas, responding to The Express Pakinomist’s queries, said he had personally contacted Barrister Gohar, who confirmed the meeting and the presence of Sohail Afridi. He stated that the meeting took place on 14 May and was strictly related to law and order, including Bannu’s security situation and wider public order concerns.
He further said that Imran Khan’s family was not informed about the meeting as the matter did not concern them, adding that Barrister Gohar, as part of the party’s top leadership, was authorized to participate in such discussions. According to him, the participants maintained that the discussion remained limited to issues of security and public order.
The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister, in a post on X, while quoting Aleema Khan, also confirmed that his meeting with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi was held in connection with recent terror incidents in Bannu and the wider law and order situation in the province. He categorically stated that no political discussion took place during the meeting, adding that reports suggesting otherwise were incorrect.
The Bannu security context that Afridi cites is based on a recent and serious incident. On the night of May 9, five days before the meeting took place, a devastating attack hit a police outpost in Bannu district when an explosive-laden vehicle rammed into the post, followed by a coordinated assault involving heavy weapons and drones.
The attack was claimed by Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan, a newly emerged armed group. In the following days, a joint operation was launched by the Pakistan Army, Police and Counter Terrorism Department in the area in which 16 terrorists were killed, including two commanders. It is against this immediate backdrop that PTI representatives have described the May 14 meeting as being focused on law and order and security coordination.
While the KP Chief Minister’s clarification addressed the nature of the meeting, the development has nevertheless drawn attention in political circles due to questions surrounding its timing and the limited publicity surrounding it.
The development comes amid lingering concerns over Imran Khan’s health during his incarceration in Adiala jail.
Khan was taken to PIMS on a few occasions in recent months for treatment of a worsening eye condition, with his legal team petitioning the Islamabad High Court seeking access to specialist treatment and the presence of his personal doctors.
A follow-up examination by a joint medical board in March reported improvement in his condition, although the family contested the government’s assessment and insisted that no medical decisions should be made without their consent.
The episode has also drawn renewed attention to a recurring tension between the Khan family and the party’s top leadership over internal communication and consultation.
In February, Aleema Khan publicly rebuked the party leadership over its handling of the medical situation, protesting what she described as decisions taken without the family’s knowledge.
Gohar himself acknowledged a communication gap in the leadership at the time, while stressing that efforts for Imran Khan’s release remained coordinated.
The latest episode, in which a meeting with the Home Secretary was held and only came to light through a social media post, appears to reflect the same unresolved tension.
