Imran Khan’s sisters criticise PTI leadership over ‘silence’ on his cases

ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) — The sisters of jailed former prime minister Imran Khan on Wednesday publicly rebuked the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leadership, accusing it of remaining silent and inactive in pursuing legal and political efforts for his release.

Speaking to reporters outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC), Aleema Khan — accompanied by her sisters Uzma Khan and Noureen Khanum — questioned the absence of senior party figures from what she described as the “legal and political battlefield.”

“Where are Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Latif Khosa and Barrister Ali Zafar? Why are they not actively pursuing the cases?” Aleema asked.

The sisters had arrived at the IHC to seek updates on cases involving the PTI founder. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was also present at the high court and attempted to meet Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar.

Imran Khan, 73, has been incarcerated since August 2023 after being convicted in multiple cases, which he maintains are politically motivated following his removal from office through a parliamentary vote of no confidence in 2022.

His health has recently become a contentious issue between the government and the opposition, including PTI and its allies, after a report was submitted to the Supreme Court by his lawyer and amicus curiae, Barrister Salman Safdar.

Earlier this week, Khan was shifted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) in Islamabad, where he received a second dose of an anti-VEGF intravitreal injection as part of ongoing treatment for an eye condition, according to a hospital statement.

Addressing the media, Aleema said her brother remains the central figure in national politics and within the party. “He is our brother, and politics revolves around him. We will continue to speak for him, regardless of what Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi says,” she stated.

Uzma Khan echoed the criticism, saying the family is often left uninformed about developments in his cases. “The party leadership is nowhere to be seen. There is complete silence,” she said.

Aleema further alleged that PTI’s lawyers-turned-lawmakers had acknowledged that the party’s mandate belonged to its founder, yet had failed to take meaningful action. She questioned how an ideological party could be divided by a single statement directed at the interior minister.

Referring to remarks attributed to Naqvi, Aleema asked why the party had not responded to comments she said blamed the sisters for the current situation. She claimed that despite Imran’s repeated instructions to file petitions, neither the party chairman nor its legal team had ensured progress in the courts.

She also alleged that key decisions were being made without consulting the family and expressed dissatisfaction over the leadership maintaining contact with the interior minister without keeping relatives informed.

“If the family had been kept satisfied and informed, the situation would have been better,” she said, calling it inappropriate for party leaders to act independently.

Criticising Barrister Gohar’s performance as party chairman, Aleema claimed he had failed to secure hearings for Imran’s cases before the Supreme Court and high courts.

She further alleged that there were “traitors” within the party, saying both the public and the family were aware of their identities.

On the issue of Imran’s health, Aleema claimed government doctors were under pressure and demanded that the family’s own medical professionals be allowed to remain present during treatment. “We want the party to take action now,” she said.

She added that the family learned through the interior minister that Barrister Gohar planned to visit the jail, questioning why information about her brother was being conveyed by government officials rather than party representatives.

Aleema maintained that no decisions regarding Imran Khan’s health should be made without consulting her, and called on the party leadership to clarify its position and explain its continued silence.