Imran to lead protest from jail: Aleema

ISLAMABAD: The sister of the PTI patron-in-chief, Imran Khan, Aleema Khan quoted her brother as saying that punishments were being given on the basis of false testimonies.

Talking to the media in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, Aleema Khan that the founder of “PTI wants to appear in court and has said that punishments were being given over false testimonies.”

Quoting the PTI founder, she said a movement will have to be launched for the supremacy of the rule of law. He has instructed entire leadership to focus on launching the movement as all other avenues have been denied to them. She said Imran’s sons will participate in the movement as they have NICOPs. She once again levelled the charge that they were not being allowed to freely meet with their brother and called it violation of court orders. She said today only two sisters Noreen Niazi and Uzma Khan were permitted to see him besides six other people including lawyer Zaheer Abbas Chaudhry. “Bushra Bibi also met the founder.” Aleema also clarified that the party will give its statement on the Senate elections as the founder does not know what is happening outside.

In media chat near Gorakhpur police check post in Rawalpindi, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said that he does not believe that Zaheer Abbas used any false statements. He said Zaheer only conveyed message of the PTI founder regarding his nominees for four general seats. He said afterwards there was a discussion in the party regarding giving ticket to a worker on the fifth seat. The decision was conveyed to Chief Minister Ali Amin (Gandapur), but he cannot say anything about what kind of pressures he had. “However the matter will clear today as it only concerns the fifth seat.” Salman Akram Raja alleged billionaires were given tickets in all the other parties but everyone is silent on that. He insisted that ‘no single person makes decisions within our party. Regarding talks with the government, he said it is not that they do not want to negotiate with them, we talked with them in the past but they have nothing in their hands. “They cannot even arrange a meeting with the PTI founder,” he said. Talking to the media here at the Judicial Complex, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan rejected the impression that tickets were given to those who held press conferences after May 9. He explained that the PTI founder had finalized Mirza Afridi’s name, who insisted that he did not issue any statement against the party. “He was always with us and served party interests,” Gohar emphasised.

He said the Senate elections in KP were held in a smoothly and that his party already finalized all the names for the Senate polls in consultations with the founder. The issue of the KP Senate elections was finalized in March 2024 but a pause came following the verdict on reserved seats as it seemed that we would not be able to get as many seats. However the PTI won six seats,” he maintained. Gohar said the court decisions regarding meeting with the party founder are being violated and only Barrister Saif and his sisters were allowed to meet with the founder in the last meeting. Regarding the August 5 protests, he said that members and leaders of the party do not need to be taken out, as they come on their own and the founder PTI will lead the protest from jail himself. Gohar said that the time for negotiations is over and now it is up to the founder to decide.