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• Aleema links international situation with ex-premier’s conviction
• PTI rejects PM’s austerity measures as ‘cosmetic, eyewash’
ISLAMABAD: Sisters of former prime minister Imran Khan were again stopped at a check post outside Adiala jail on Tuesday, prompting them to stage a sit-in while some Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) workers who tried to move towards the jail were pushed back by police.
Aleema Khan, while speaking to media persons outside the jail, said it was unfortunate that family members were not being allowed to meet the incarcerated former prime minister despite clear court orders.
Responding to a question, she dismissed reports suggesting that Mr Khan might be released before Eid. “They don’t want to release him. Just look at the developments at the international level and you will realise why Imran Khan is in jail,” she said.
Asked about the recent increase in petroleum prices, she said she did not want to present the PTI’s stance on the issue as she had come to Adiala jail solely to meet her brother.
“However, all people, including you, have been affected by the recent increase in petroleum prices, so everyone should speak up,” she added.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said efforts for the release of Mr Khan would continue.
Asked about remarks by Sardar Latif Khosa suggesting that Mr Khan could be released before Eid, the party leader said the PTI founder should be released as there was nothing substantial in the cases against him. “However, courts are not free. Things are being managed, as it has now been legislated that appeals in NAB cases will be heard by constitutional courts. It shows they want decisions from courts of their choice. Nevertheless, we will continue appearing before the courts,” he added.
Austerity measures
Meanwhile, the PTI strongly rejected the government austerity measures, calling them cosmetic steps designed to mislead the public and divert attention from the government’s failure to provide meaningful economic relief.
In a strongly worded reaction to PM Shehbaz Sharif’s address to the nation, PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said the government was preaching simplicity and austerity to the public while itself indulging in what he called “unprecedented extravagance and wasteful spending” at taxpayers’ expense.
He said the prime minister had acknowledged that the ongoing conflict involving Iran, Israel and the United States could push global oil prices higher and place additional pressure on Pakistan’s fragile economy. But instead of protecting citizens from the looming economic shock, the government had chosen to burden the public through higher petroleum levies and indirect taxation, he added.
According to the PTI leader, the petroleum levy had already reached historic highs, yet on March 6 it was increased again, aggravating public hardship. If the government were sincere about providing relief, it would have reduced the levy by at least Rs21 per litre instead of increasing it, he added.
Drawing a contrast between the prime minister’s austerity rhetoric and what he described as the “princely” lifestyle of the ruling elite, Mr Akram referred to reports that Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz had travelled to Vienna aboard a luxury aircraft costing between $12,000 and $15,000 per hour.
“The current situation is fundamentally an economic challenge, not a public health emergency like Covid-19. Shutting down offices, schools, colleges and universities will not resolve the crisis,” he said.
Published in Dawn, March 11th, 2026
