Mobilising PTI workers from Punjab: Aleema informs IK about Gohar’s failure

ISLAMABAD: Aleema Khan, the sister of imprisoned ex-prime minister Imran Khan, left Gohar Ali Khan, the chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), red-faced on Monday as she plainly informed her incarcerated brother, the party's founding chairman, about Gohar's failure to mobilise party workers from Punjab through local leadership for the sit-in at D-Chowk last month.

During the hearing of Toshakhana-II case at a makeshift court set up at infamous Adiala Jail, Aleema Khan took the opportunity to inform her brother that the party, particularly Chairman Gohar, miserably failed in rallying support from Punjab.

She further stated that the senior party leadership not only failed to mobilise people in Punjab as effectively as the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa leadership, which is evident from the attendance of only a few hundred PTI workers from the province, who managed to reach D-Chowk for the party's "final call" at their own.

The startling revelation – by no other than Khan’s sister – of Gohar’s incompetence to bring out people from Punjab left him with no option but to refute her assertion by stating that over 5,000 PTI members had been detained when they were coming to Islamabad to attend D-Chowk sit-in from all over Punjab.

According to sources, Gohar, a seasoned lawyer, interrupted to state that he had already informed the "murshid" – Imran Khan – regarding the situation in Punjab and the arrest of 5,000 workers, asserting that the claim of no one from Punjab reached D-Chowk is entirely false.

They said that following the hearing, Gohar complained to Aleema Khan that certain issues ought to be entrusted to the party leadership, as they handle party affairs with complete integrity and consistently provide honest briefings to Imran Khan.

“The varied claims made by various individuals within the party regarding the arrests and martyrdom of party workers at D-Chowk may lead to confusion. It is key to establish clarity on one point: the priority must be given to Imran Khan, the party, and its workers,” Gohar was quoted as telling Aleema.

He emphasized that the claim of no one attending party sit-in from Punjab could have adverse effects on the party during a critical time when unity is essential to secure Khan's release from the prison.

A visibly frustrated Aleema inquired about the lack of progress regarding the monitoring commission established by the Islamabad High Court to oversee the case of Imran Khan.

At this, Mashal Yousafzai, the recently sacked adviser to the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, shifted the buck on Faisal Chaudhry, one of Imran Khan's legal representatives.

This angered Chaudhry, who objected to Mashal’s allegations and inquiring whether it is possible for her to impede a court order.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024