Islamabad, Dec 1 (UNI) Aleema Khan, the sister of incarcerated former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan, has voiced extreme worry about his health after being denied access to him for several weeks, and has vowed not to leave the protest site outside Adiala Jail unless she alongwith PTI party workers is allowed to meet Imran.
“We are deeply concerned about the well-being, legal rights, and humane treatment of our brother during his incarceration, ” Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan told German channel DW.
She accused the authorities of wilfully defying the Islamabad High Court’s March 24 order that restored visitation rights to the former PM, who is also leader of the major opposition party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI).
Aleema and PTI workers are stationed outside the Adiala Jail where Imran Khan is lodged, and they have refused to move from there until they meet him.
“The family and legal team last met Imran Khan on October 16, on the final day of his and his wife, Bushra Bibi’s, jail trial,” Aleema said.
Imran Khan, who served as Pakistan’s prime minister from 2018 to 2022, has been incarcerated since August 2023 and is currently serving a 14-year sentence for corruption. He has termed the cases against him as politically motivated and claimed that the military is plotting against him to prevent his involvement in politics. Pakistan’s all-powerful military has rejected these claims.
“Imran Khan will never compromise with this government. After enduring two and a half years of imprisonment in an 8×10 cell under harsh conditions, he is now advocating for the rule of law, an end to human rights abuses, and free and fair elections,” Aleema said.
“His commitment to democracy remains unwavering,” she added.
She said that their other sister, Uzma Khan, has been allowed to see Imran Khan twice for some 20 minutes each on October 28 and November 4 “only because we held protests and sit-ins outside Adiala Jail.”
Aleema has dared the Shehbaz Sharif-led Pakistan government to use “bullets” and “tear gas” against them during their attempt to meet her brother Imran.
“We will not leave outside Adiala Jail until we get to meet Imran Khan. You may fire bullets, use tear gas, or whatever, but we will not go from there,” Aleema Khanum said in a video shared by PTI Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on its X handle.
“Imran khan is in jail illegally; everything here is happening illegally, but we are not doing anything illegal,” she said.
Last week, rumours flooded the internet of Imran Khan’s likely death inside the jail. However, the Shehbaz Sharif government clarified that he is fine and is in good health.
Imran Khan and his PTI party enjoy wide popularity in Pakistan, where people are growing increasingly dissatisfied with the Sharif government and with the Army’s overarching role in all aspects of governance.
