ISLAMABAD: PTI chief Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan on Tuesday asked party supporters to take to the streets for the release of the former prime minister and his spouse, Bushra Bibi, citing her family’s disillusionment with the courts.

Speaking to media persons, Aleema said her brother was suffering from health issues and termed them their biggest concern, while reiterating their demand for his treatment at the Shifa International Hospital.

According to her, the government will allow Mr Khan’s treatment only after street protests by his party’s supporters. She told reporters that they wanted to “build pressure” because authorities “would not treat Imran Khan (for his eye ailment) or give him bail” without public pressure.

“It is our constitutional right to take to the roads and hold peaceful protests. Peaceful protest is an international right, and that is why they have not legislated against it,” she said.

PTI urges judiciary to restore confidence by deciding £190m corruption case on merit

While responding to a question, Aleema said that the PTI leadership was reluctant to hold a protest because they felt people would not take to the streets. She suggested that, in the first phase, a call should be given to party workers to gather outside Adiala jail.

Speaking about the health of Mr Khan and their lack of access to him, she said, “They (the government) are claiming that Imran has recovered, but we don’t believe them. The chief justice should have called a health expert to seek an opinion regarding Imran Khan’s medical reports, but he did not bother. It has become clear that the judges have nothing in their hands and are simply following orders.”

She said Imran Khan was not going to be released for many years given the conduct of the court, adding that the high court might drag the bail application out for another year because they were not being allowed to release her brother.

On the other hand, Noreen Niazi said that she does not want to be peaceful. She gave the example of PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz, who had protested outside the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in Lahore, which ended in violence.

PTI urges judiciary to restore confidence

Meanwhile, the PTI urged the judiciary to decide the £190 million corruption case on merit. In a statement on Tuesday, PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said the party welcomed the scheduling of the case before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) after protracted delays.

He emphasised that the case was not a legal matter but “a clear act of political victimisation, as no evidence of corruption or personal financial gain had been presented despite lengthy proceedings.”

He said it was high time the court decided the matter and suspended the sentence. He claimed that for nearly a year, the appeals of the PTI founder had remained stalled due to bureaucratic obstacles, administrative objections, and systemic delays, which not only constituted a grave violation of citizens’ constitutional and fundamental legal rights but also raised serious concerns about the judiciary’s independence and credibility.

“We are confident that once these appeals are heard purely on their merit—free from political considerations—these fabricated convictions will be overturned, paving the way for the immediate release of the unlawfully incarcerated Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi,” he added.

He called upon the public, party members, and workers to stand in peaceful solidarity with Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, emphasising that this was not merely a legal battle but a struggle to protect due process, judicial independence, and the rule of law in Pakistan.

Welfare school in Rajana

Meanwhile, the PTI strongly condemned the sealing of a welfare school in Rajana, Toba Tek Singh, by the Punjab School Education Department, purportedly for hosting a gathering where Imran Khan’s sister Noreen Khan Niazi addressed a prize distribution ceremony on Sunday.

The school, run under the supervision of retired Brigadier Javed Akram, who is serving a six-year sentence in Kot Lakhpat Jail, provides education and training to 700 underprivileged children, the party claimed.

Published in Dawn, April 1st, 2026