Aleema vows protest will head to Adiala Jail

The sister of imprisoned PTI founder Imran Khan, Aleema Khan, visited Mardan on Saturday as part of the party's street campaign demanding his release.

Local members of the National and Provincial Assemblies along with party workers welcomed her at Bab-e-Mardan before marching to College Chowk, where the procession turned into a public meeting.

Addressing the gathering, Aleema Khan said the party could no longer wait for the founder's release. She urged workers to send a clear message to the authorities that the imprisoned leader was not alone and enjoyed the backing of the entire nation.

The next destination of the movement, she declared, would not be Islamabad's D-Chowk but Adiala Jail.

She claimed one of her brother's eyes had been affected in prison and demanded his immediate transfer to a hospital, insisting the demand was simply for a prisoner's fundamental human rights.

While maintaining that the founder should be freed through the courts, she added that such an outcome appeared unlikely under the present circumstances. Party workers were told to remain disciplined and focused solely on the peaceful release campaign.

Aleema directed party workers to coordinate with elected representatives and complete preparations for the movement. She also stated that this time no one would be allowed to open fire or repeat incidents similar to those of 26 November.

Senator Zeeshan Khanzada, Provincial Minister for Revenue Tariq Aryani, MPAs Zahir Shah Toru, Abdul Salam Afridi, Amir Farzand Khan, Iftikhar Ali Mashwani, Zarshad Khan, Nadia Khattak, Ravi Kumar and other leaders also spoke.

They alleged the PTI founder had been unjustly imprisoned and claimed the nation stood firmly behind him against the present government, vowing that a decisive movement for his release would soon be launched.

The speakers further stressed the need for unity among party ranks to sustain pressure on the authorities.

Three PTI MNAs from Mardan, Ali Muhammad Khan, Atif Khan and Mujahid Khan, did not attend the event, prompting concern among local workers over their absence.

During the public gathering, unidentified individuals allegedly stole around 25 mobile phones, including those belonging to Senator Zeeshan Khanzada, PTI Lawyers Forum leader Rehmat Kundi and several other workers.

Sheikh Maltoon Police Station later arrested a suspect allegedly involved in the thefts.

Among those present were Senator Zeeshan Khanzada, MNA Iqbal Afridi, Provincial Minister Tariq Mahmood Aryani, MPAs Zahir Shah Toru, Abdul Salam Afridi, Amir Farzand Khan, Iftikhar Ali Mashwani, Zarshad Khan, Engineer Adil Nawaz, Saeed Usman Advocate, Lakhkar Khan, District Information Secretary Riaz Khan, minority leader Ravi Kumar and other party figures.