Aleema says Imran won’t compromise

Aleema Khan, sister of PTI founder Imran Khan, said on Monday that her brother would not cut any deal or seek compromise on three core issues namely the supremacy of the Constitution, the 26th and 27th constitutional amendments and transparent elections.

She maintained that the former premier has stood his ground despite spending more than two years behind bars.

Speaking to the media after appearing before an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi, Aleema said any judge unable to dispense justice in line with the Constitution and the law should step aside rather than occupy the bench.

She alleged that the PTI founder was being held in solitary confinement and said a photograph of Imran Khan circulating on social media, though not recent, appeared to be authentic and warranted verification by the media.

Responding to a question about allegations of links with intelligence agencies, Aleema said these were Pakistan’s own institutions and that she was prepared to bear any accusation. She challenged critics to name her openly if they had objections.

Referring to a sit-in outside Adiala Jail, she alleged that authorities were preventing meetings with her brother and even resorted to throwing water. “They can do whatever they want, but we will not step back from our objective,” she said.

Aleema said meeting Imran Khan in Adiala Jail was their constitutional, legal and moral right, warning that keeping anyone in solitary confinement for more than five days amounted to torture under international law. She said the family would again visit the jail on Tuesday to seek a meeting.

She said she felt pity for those who took former PTI leader Sher Afzal Marwat seriously, adding that she had told the court that those testifying against her were merely soldiers giving false testimony on the Quran.

Aleema maintained that those currently facing punishment were “scapegoats”, while the real culprits were the ones coercing them to testify.

She said Imran had founded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to uphold justice, the Constitution, the rule of law and democracy and that he had spent the last two and a half years in prison for standing by these principles.

She added that Imran never abandoned two things, faith in Allah and physical exercise, and continued to work out even while confined to his cell.

Earlier in the day, an anti-terrorism court approved Aleema Khan’s bail application in connection with the November 26 protest case, cancelling her arrest warrants. However, the court dismissed her petition challenging the framing of charges.

Aleema appeared before the court along with her counsel Faisal Mahmood Malik. ATC Judge Amjad Ali Shah presided over the hearing, which was attended by prosecutor Zaheer Shah, defence lawyers and eight prosecution witnesses present in the court premises.