ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan has claimed that her brother urged the military to remain neutral during a recent meeting. She also stated that Imran Khan had asked Army Chief General Asim Munir to stay neutral for the sake of the country.
Speaking to reporters at Adiala Jail, Aleema Khan said that she and other family members met with Imran Khan, but lawyers were not allowed access. She alleged that the Adiala Jail is under the control of the military. According to Aleema Khan, Imran Khan told his family that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) are morally bankrupt and that the current government is deliberately trying to create a rift between the PTI and the armed forces.
Imran Khan said that the military is the backbone of Pakistan, Aleema Khan stated. She added that Imran does not want the military and the people to be pitted against each other.
“How will the country move forward without the rule of law and democracy? Businesses have been destroyed, and people are leaving the country,” she quoted Imran as saying. She further claimed that Imran Khan urged the military to maintain neutrality.
After meeting former prime minister Imran Khan in the Adiala jail the other day, PTI leader Omar Ayub told the media in Islamabad that the “Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government” had collapsed, therefore, the country should brace for early general elections. He asserted that the country’s development could only come about through fresh elections.
Speaking to the media outside a hunger strike camp near the parliament house, Ayub criticised the PML-N’s actions, describing them as disastrous for the country.
“Currently, 90 per cent of Pakistan’s population supports PTI and stands by Imran Khan. The press conference held by the director general of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) should have been conducted by the interior or foreign minister. They have forced the army to act as their spokesperson,” he said. In response to a question, Omar Ayub said that Imran Khan had urged the public to begin preparations for the upcoming general elections. He announced that PTI would hold countrywide protests today against the price hike and for the release of Mr Khan.
He also said the party was considering a public meeting in Islamabad, to be led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. Mr Ayub further claimed that Imran Khan appreciated the hunger strike camp and encouraged the nation to remain steadfast, assuring them of eventual success.