Aleema Khan, sister of PTI’s founding chairman Imran Khan. Photo: Express/File
RAWALPINDI:
PTI founder Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan on Tuesday accused the government of using dialogue as a pressure valve, saying the ruling party only revived talk of talks when protest calls emerged as she and other family members were again denied permission to meet the jailed leader in Adiala jail, sparking a sit-in.
The day meant for meetings at Adiala Jail, where the party supremo remains incarcerated, turned into a flashpoint when the sit-in protest brought traffic on Adiala Road to a standstill for hours.
Imran Khan’s three sisters – Aleema Khan, Dr. Uzma Khan and Noreen Khan – along with PTI leaders were stopped at several police check posts and prevented from proceeding towards the jail.
PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, party spokesperson party founder Niazullah Niazi, general secretary Salman Akram Raja and lawyer Faisal Malik were stopped at the Dahgal checkpoint and were not allowed to proceed.
The sisters, traveling via Chakri Interchange, reached the Gorakhpur checkpoint where the police placed a dump truck across the road and blocked their vehicle.
Led by Aleema Khan, the sisters and party workers began marching on foot towards the jail.
At the factory check post, the police erected iron barricades which completely sealed Adiala Road. At around 3.30 pm, after repeated denials of entry, Aleema Khan announced a sit-in on the main road. Party workers joined the protest and chanted slogans as traffic on the central artery came to a standstill, forcing commuters to walk long distances late into the night.
Senior PTI leaders from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, including provincial president Junaid Akbar, Mushtaq Ghani and KP government spokesperson Shafqatullah Jan, arrived at the venue to express solidarity and joined the sit-in.
Speaking to the media, Aleema accused the authorities of routinely blocking meetings every Tuesday, alleging that the state had “violated the constitution and the law” and kept Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi in solitary confinement.
“We will not leave him alone,” she said, adding that those who, in her words, had a “stolen mandate” panicked and rushed to negotiations whenever Imran called for protests. She claimed that even the prime minister and his aides had begun to float the idea of talks, but insisted that the authorities must first explain why meetings with Imran Khan were blocked.
She questioned why the country’s “most popular leader” was kept in isolation, said barriers erected on public roads revealed official fear, and claimed Imran Khan had already conveyed instructions to the KP leadership to prepare for street protests.
Separately, PTI chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said that whether through resistance or conciliation, “a way forward must be opened”, acknowledging ongoing discussions on possible negotiations between the government and PTI, while noting that Aleema Khan’s stance on negotiations was already on record.
Speaking to reporters at the Dahgal Checkpoint near Adiala Jail, Lawyer Gohar said it did not appear that meetings would be allowed that day, but stressed that access to Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi should be ensured.
He warned that the country’s problems were deepening, said there should be no politics over family meetings and demanded that Bushra Bibi’s relatives also be allowed to meet her.
