• PTI demands prisoner release, May 9 judicial inquiry before talks
• Aleema says Imran wants to wait a few more days before taking any action

ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan has warned that he would ask overseas Pakistanis to halt remittances if the government fails to meet his demands, including the release of incarcerated party workers and the formation of judicial commissions to investigate the May 9 riots and the Nov 26 crackdown on PTI workers in Islamabad, his sister Aleema Khan said on Tuesday.

Talking to the media outside Adiala Jail after meeting the former prime minister, Ms Khan accused the government of economic mismanagement, claiming that millions of citizens had slipped below the poverty line following the PTI government’s removal.

She asserted that remittances from overseas Pakistanis were crucial in keeping the country afloat while criticising the elite for allegedly moving their wealth abroad.

She alleged that PTI’s political downfall was orchestrated as part of a “London plan” to dismantle the party. She also condemned the crackdown on party marchers last month, in which the party said several of its workers were killed.

Ms Khan reiterated PTI’s call for a judicial commission comprising three senior Supreme Court judges to investigate the wrongful detentions of PTI workers. She stressed that her brother remained distressed by the situation but was committed to fighting for justice.

“If these demands are not met, Imran Khan will urge overseas Pakistanis to stop sending remittances,” she warned.

“Overseas Pakistanis are ready, but Imran Khan has been advised to wait to avoid harming the country. Despite the pressure, he remains focused on his concerns for the nation and will wait a few more days before taking any action,” she said.

‘Onus on govt’

Meanwhile, in a statement, PTI Central Infor­mation Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said the ball was now in the government’s court to make a decision and rescue the country from the quagmire of crises.

He insisted that PTI would not beg for dialogue no matter what, as the responsibility rested with “those in power” to initiate talks. He warned that the current impasse would only deepen the country’s troubles.

He said the release of PTI’s imprisoned workers and judicial probes into the May 9 and Nov 26 incidents were essential as confidence-building measures, and these demands were key to unlocking meaningful and constructive dialogue.

Mr Akram said the government had already caused “irretrievable damage” to the country during the past two years, during which he said PTI workers and its leadership faced all state brutalities and barbarities, including the Islamabad “carnage”. Still, the PTI leader, Imran Khan, always opted for a negotiated settlement to the impasse, Mr Akram said.

“Instead of welcoming PTI leadership’s gesture, the government further accelerated its reign of terror to terrorise people and stifle the dissenting voices because the power usurpers are aware that they would be the ultimate losers,” he said.

He pointed out that the right to peaceful assembly was a cornerstone of any democratic society. However, at D-Chowk last month, protesters were “sprayed with bullets”, resulting in a dozen martyrs, hundreds injured, and several hundred forcibly disappeared, he claimed.

Mr Akram said these sacrifices made by party workers would not go in vain, and the “perpetrators of this heinous crime” would be held accountable.

He also condemned alleged incidents of racial profiling targeting Pakhtuns.

Citing a recent example, he accused Islamabad police of attempting to detain two Pakhtun youth travelling with Sunni Ittehad Council Chairman Sahibzada Hamid Raza’s family “solely based on their ethnicity and the province of origin”.

Published in Dawn, December 18th, 2024