Aleema Khan, sister of PTI founding president Imran Khan. Photo: Express/Archive
RAWALPINDI:
Aleema Khan, sister of PTI founder Imran Khan, on Tuesday accused the government of using dialogue as a pressure valve, saying the ruling party revived talks on negotiations only when calls for protests emerged, as she and other members of her family were once again denied permission to meet the imprisoned leader in Adiala Jail, triggering a sit-in.
The day, designated for meetings at Adiala Jail, where the party’s supremo remains incarcerated, became a flashpoint when the sit-in protest paralyzed traffic on Adiala Road for hours.
Imran Khan’s three sisters – Aleema Khan, Dr Uzma Khan and Noreen Khan – along with PTI leaders, were detained at various police checkpoints and barred from moving towards jail.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Party Founder’s Spokesperson Niazullah Niazi, General Secretary Salman Akram Raja and Barrister Faisal Malik were stopped at the Dahgal checkpoint and were not allowed to proceed further.
The sisters, traveling through Chakri crossing, reached the Gorakhpur check post, where the police placed a dumper truck on the other side of 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 checkpoint, police erected iron barricades, completely sealing off Adiala Road. At around 3.30pm, after repeated denials of access, Aleema Khan announced a sit-in on the main road. Party workers joined the protest, chanting slogans as traffic on the central artery ground to a halt, 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 scene to express solidarity and joined the sit-in.
Speaking to the media, Aleema accused the authorities of systematically 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,” he said, adding that those who, in his words, had a “stolen mandate” panicked and rushed to negotiate whenever Imran called for protests. He claimed that even the prime minister and his aides had started raising the idea of talks, but insisted that the authorities must first explain why meetings with Imran Khan were being blocked.
He questioned why the country’s “most popular leader” was being kept isolated, said barriers erected on public roads exposed official fear and claimed that Imran Khan had already conveyed instructions to KP leaders to prepare for street protests.
Separately, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said that whether through resistance or reconciliation, “a way forward must be made”, acknowledging the ongoing discussions on possible talks between the government and the PTI, while noting that Aleema Khan’s stance on the negotiations was already on record.
Speaking to reporters at the Dahgal checkpoint near Adiala Jail, lawyer Gohar said it did not appear that gatherings were allowed on that day, but stressed that access to Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi must be guaranteed.
He warned that the country’s problems were deepening, said there should be no politics at family gatherings and demanded that Bushra Bibi’s relatives also be allowed to meet her.
