RAWALPINDI: The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has denied reports that party founder Imran Khan had barred his sons from visiting Pakistan, asserting they will definitely come. “The news circulating in the media regarding Imran Khan Sahib’s children is completely false. Imran Khan Sahib has absolutely not stopped his children from coming to Pakistan,” PTI Spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram said in a statement on X.
Imran’s sister Aleema Khan also claimed that Sulaiman Khan (28) and Kasim Khan (26) would participate in the protest, which would be staged for the ex-premier’s release.
Similarly, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said the party was not in contact with Imran’s sons, but it is their right to meet their father.
Earlier, PTI founder Imran Khan, talking to reporters in Adiala jail here on Tuesday, said he had instructed his sons not to travel to Pakistan, Geo News Correspondent Shabbir Ahmed Dar reported.
“My sons will not come to Pakistan. They will neither be part of any protest nor will they lead any protest,” Khan told reporters, adding that launching a protest movement is the party’s responsibility, and instructions in this regard had already been issued to the party.
Meanwhile, Aleema Khan, the sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder, claimed that there was only one person who orders cases against the PTI founder. Responding to a question from the media outside the Adiala jail in Rawalpindi, Imran’s sister charged that those raising voices are being disqualified. “The opposition leader in Punjab Assembly was disqualified, and now they want to disqualify the opposition leader in NA Omar Ayub,” she said. “There is no supremacy of law and Constitution in the country. They do whatever they wish.”
Regarding government claims that Aleema Khan has hijacked the PTI, she replied that they should come forward and take over the party themselves. She said the government is not concerned about the affairs of the country. They are only concerned about the PTI which is not being allowed to play the role of opposition in parliament.
Regarding her brother’s trial, she contended that while it is claimed to be an open trial, why the family is not being allowed to attend the proceedings. She claimed that the £190 million case is so weak that judges are not prepared to hear it. “The case hasn’t been heard for three months,” she said.
Aleema said the government has no control over the sugar prices because they control the whole business. “They have created an artificial shortage to fill their coffers.” She claimed that after the sugar crisis, there will be a wheat crisis. “They have destroyed the farmers.”
Saeed Niazi adds from London: Former prime minister Imran Khan’s sons have returned to London after meeting several congressmen -- but without securing any official meeting with the Donald Trump administration to raise the issue of their jailed father Imran Khan. According to posts shared by PTI USA leader Sajjad Burki, Imran Khan’s sons — Sulaiman Khan, 28, and Kasim Khan, 26 — met with congressmen Brad Sherman, Mike Levin from California, Gregory Meeks, ranking member on House Foreign Affairs Committee, Jim Costa, Ted Lieu, Bill Huizenga, Andy Harris and Joe Wilson. Incarcerated PTI Founder Imran Khan’s sons met with United States President Donald Trump’s key aide Richard Grenell as they kicked off a campaign calling for their father’s release from prison but sources within the PTI said this meeting was not planned and held as part of Grenell’s already-planned meeting with a Sikh delegation. Trusted sources in the PTI said: “There was no official meeting with Imran Khan’s sons directly, by anyone from the Trump administration. It’s true they met Ambassador Grenell but this is outside the place where he was actually meeting with a Sikh delegation. He didn’t get to have an indepth conversation as they were part of the larger Sikh group he had a pre-scheduled meeting with. Obviously he saw them and met them there. More photo ops and optics than anything else.”
One of the persons involved in arranging the meeting said the meetings were successful. “We are aware that a group is trying to create an impression that these meetings were not successful. Imran Khan’s sons met the key Congressmen and raised the issue of their father and that’s all that matters. We were focussed on substance, not media publicity and PR.”
The person accepted that there was no official US meeting with Khan’s sons. However, he said Ambassador Grenell promised he will raise the issue and he tweeted too.”
