BAJAUR/MOHMAND: Aleema Khan, the sister of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, on Thursday called on party workers to actively participate in her movement for the release of their incarcerated leader.
“A massive gathering of workers is the only way to force the government to set free my brother from illegal detention,” she told PTI workers in Khar Bazaar during her first visit to Bajaur. She said that her campaign to mobilise workers for release of Imran Khan was progressing well across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
She said that every PTI worker wanted an end to the “prolonged illegal detention” of the party’s founder. Calling peaceful gatherings outside Adiala Jail critical for “early and dignified release” of her brother, Ms Khan asked workers and leaders to ensure active participation in the campaign.
She said that workers should pledge not to go back home until the party founder was released. She urged PTI workers and leaders to maintain unity to make the planned efforts for their incarcerated leader result-oriented.
Ms Khan said that Imran Khan had been in jail for about two and a half years “for the cause of people” and for opposing the “anti-people measures” of what she termed an “illegitimate and fake federal government” that was the product of “Form 47.”
She claimed that despite facing “cruel and inhuman treatment” in prison and solitary confinement, Imran remained committed to the rule of law, an independent judiciary, constitutional supremacy and people’s rights.
Speaking about the deteriorating law and order situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, especially in tribal and southern districts, she said it was the result of “wrong policies and unwise decisions” of the federal government. She said that inflation caused by the “anti-people policies” of the federal government had not only rendered thousands jobless but also pushed a large population into crisis, struggling to afford even two meals a day.
Ms Khan also asked workers not to blame local lawmakers for corruption, calling it “a conspiracy by someone to create differences between lawmakers and workers.”
Thousands of party workers and supporters, carrying party flags and portraits of Imran Khan, along with local leaders and all three PTI MPAs from the district, participated in the meeting.
Aleema Khan also visited Mohmand district and urged party workers to set aside internal differences and launch a coordinated movement for Imran’s release.
She was received on her arrival by MNA Sajid Khan Mohmand, Special Assistant to CM on Food Dr Mohammad Israr, MPA Mehboob Sher and PTI leader Fakhar Alam Mohmand. Hundreds of workers gathered to welcome her.
A rally was taken out from the district’s main commercial hub Mian Mandi Bazaar to Ekkaghund, where Ms Khan addressed a public gathering. She said that Imran Khan was being held in custody “unjustly” and was enduring all hardships in prison without deviating from his political stance.
“The current leadership of the party has not been able to formulate an effective plan for his release,” Ms Khan said.
She expressed concern over inflation, insecurity and a growing sense of uncertainty. She also raised questions over the functioning of judicial system and the timely provision of justice.
Published in Dawn, July 31st, 2026
