ISLAMABAD: Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has denied claims made by Aleema Khan regarding an offer for her brother Imran Khan’s immediate release.
In a phone interview, Gohar Ali Khan rejected the assertion that the PTI founder’s release was promised within 20 days in exchange for halting the party’s protest.
“I never mentioned anything about the release, nor did the government promise to release Imran Khan within 20 days,” he stated.
The PTI chairman emphasized that no discussions had taken place with the government regarding any such deal, and he had not been in contact with them on November 24 or at any time before that. He further clarified that there had been no dialogue regarding a meeting with the PTI founder.
On Saturday, Aleema Khan, the sister of the PTI chairman, claimed that the government had been pressured when convoys began arriving in Islamabad for the protest. She said this prompted the authorities to send Barrister Gohar to meet Imran Khan in jail, with assurances of his release within 20 days.
Speaking to the media in Lahore, Aleema claimed that as the protest escalated, the government summoned Barrister Gohar and instructed him to stay at Sangjani, with promises of Imran Khan’s release. She added that the government had facilitated his meeting with her brother in jail, reiterating their commitment to his release.
PTI had launched a “do-or-die” protest in Islamabad, initially scheduled for November 24, demanding the release of their incarcerated leader, Imran Khan. However, the protest, led by Bushra Bibi, the former prime minister’s wife, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, was cut short when law enforcement launched an operation to clear the Red Zone on the night of November 26-27.
