‘IK asks followers to launch protest movement after 10th Muharram’

ISLAMABAD: Aleema Khan, sister of jailed former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan, announced on Friday that her brother has instructed his followers to launch a movement against the government after the 10th day of Muharram.

Speaking to reporters outside Adiala Jail following a meeting with Imran Khan, she said that the former prime minister has directed his party to ignite a nationwide protest, but only after the 10th of Muharram.

Aleema also claimed that Imran Khan has strongly criticised the controversial 27th Amendment, describing it as so oppressive that “it would be better to have a monarchy.”

This statement comes in the wake of a Supreme Court verdict on 27 June, which dealt a significant blow to PTI by stripping the party of reserved seats for minorities and women in both national and provincial assemblies.

Aleema painted a grim picture of her brother’s imprisonment, accusing authorities of subjecting him to harsh, near-isolation conditions. She said Imran Khan is confined to a cell for 22 hours a day, denied access to books and contact with his children, and stripped of all standard jail privileges.

In a pointed comparison, Aleema noted that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has enjoyed meals brought from home, regular visitors, and comfortable accommodation in a “rest house” – privileges, she added, have been denied to Imran Khan.

“This continued denial is both inhumane and unlawful,” Aleema asserted, revealing that Imran has been barred from seeing his sons for six months and cut off from party members for eight months, effectively stifling his political leadership.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2025