Aleema Khan, sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, slammed the party MPAs on Tuesday for passing the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa budget without Imran Khan’s consultation.
She said those members who could not resist pressure should ‘go home’ as the party required bold and courageous stance on key issues for the release of its founder.
Talking to the media outside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, she also claimed that Pakistan has been currently under ‘martial law’ not a hybrid system.
Addressing journalists, Aleema Khan emphasized that social media represents the voice of the public, while mainstream media faces its own constraints. She relayed Imran Khan’s stance that the KP budget should not have been passed without his approval. When asked about a “minus Imran” scenario, she responded, “I think the minus Imran Khan has already happened.”
Responding to a question about KP MPAs claiming they could not oppose Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur due to his influence, Aleema Khan said, “Those MPAs who can’t bear the burden should go home.”
On the ‘compulsion’ behind passing the budget, she said Imran Khan had instructed the party to approach the Supreme Court to challenge how a budget could be approved without the party leader’s consent.
She added “Imran Khan believes Pakistan is under martial law, not a hybrid system mentioning who controls the authority to let anyone meet with Imran Khan in jail, revealing that even she is often denied permission to meet him.”
She urged Pakistanis to learn from Iran’s example and stand up for their rights and the rule of law.
It merits mentioning that the KP Assembly approved the provincial budget for the new fiscal year late last night, despite Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur not consulting Imran Khan beforehand.