Aleema Khan, sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, has called on the public to stand with PTI, warning that the party is being targeted and urging decisive action against government pressure.
Speaking to reporters outside the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Lahore, Aleema Khan said Imran Khan is being kept in isolation and subjected to “torture,” asserting that the PTI leader represents the voice of the people which the authorities are trying to suppress.
“Imran Khan has said he will not bow before tyranny, and neither will we,” she said, referring to alleged assaults on PTI leaders including her sister Noreen Niazi and Azma Rani. “If the government imposes governor rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, then see what happens. The entire province stands with PTI. Their aim is to remove people’s representatives and install their own man, which is dictatorship. If you bring dictatorship, chaos will spread.”
Aleema Khan also criticized restrictions on meetings with PTI leaders, questioning the legal grounds for preventing such interactions. “We are not afraid of their threats. They operate under heavy protocol—why don’t they come and meet us directly?” she added.
The remarks came as the ATC Lahore extended interim bail for several PTI leaders in cases related to May 9 incidents of protests and property damage. The extension covers Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan, Asad Umar, Musarrat Cheema, and others until January 16. The court also accepted Fawad Chaudhry’s request for a one-day exemption from appearing.
The cases against the PTI leaders involve allegations of torching offices of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz and burning containers at Kalma Chowk.
