Imran directs PTI to begin anti-govt movement after 10th Muharram, says Aleema

• Imran not being allowed to speak to his sons, says Aleema.
• Jail authorities have "refused" to provide him books as well.
• Waqas Akram says preparations complete for nationwide protests.

Aleema Khan, sister of incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, on Friday said the party's patron-in-chief had directed that the party should begin its movement against the government after the 10th of Muharram.

Speaking to media outside an anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi, she conveyed the PTI founder's message, stating he said it would be better to establish a "monarchy" instead of implementing the 27th Amendment.

The announcement came days after the Supreme Court denied the party reserved seats for minorities and women in parliament.

On June 27, the SC’s constitutional bench ruled that the PTI was not entitled to reserved seats in the national and provincial assemblies.

Meanwhile, the government has warned the PTI against creating anarchy in the name of protest, emphasising that staging peaceful demonstrations was their constitutional right, but violence could not be permitted.

Aleema said that a plan for the movement has already been prepared, while the PTI founder has urged the masses to "come out for their freedom". Imran has reiterated his stance that "imprisonment is better than slavery", she maintained.

Imran’s sister further claimed that her brother was facing harsh conditions in jail, stating that his experience is unimaginable for his opponents. 

She claimed that the PTI founder spends 22 hours a day in a cell and is only allowed out for two hours. "All jail facilities for the PTI founder have been terminated," she alleged, adding that he is not allowed to speak to his children or access books.

In contrast, she drew a comparison with former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, whose meals, she said, were delivered from home and who received hundreds of visitors.

She also said that Nawaz and his daughter were kept in "a rest house" with all facilities available.

On the other hand, Aleema said, Imran has not been allowed to speak to his sons for the past six months. "This continued denial is both inhumane and unlawful," she wrote in a tweet.

Whereas, for the past eight months, as head of the largest political party in Pakistan, Imran has been barred from meeting his party members as well, she said, adding it amounted to denying his constitutional right to political consultation and leadership.

Meanwhile, PTI spokesperson Sheikh Waqas Akram said his party first postponed the nationwide protests due to the Iran-Israel war, then it delayed it out of respect for Muharram days.

“Preparations of the party’s all provincial presidents are complete,” he said, talking to Geo News.

In the first phase, demonstrations would be held in provinces and districts, the PTI spokesperson said.

To a query, he said the party workers should not be exposed to live bullets.

“When the first bullet was fired, the PTI founder won,” he said. 

To another query pertaining to KP Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur’s statement that he would carry weapons to the protest, Akram said Gandapur was talking about self-defence. “What the chief minister meant was that everybody has the right to self-defence," he added.

The PTI spokesperson also said the PTI founder had directed Gandapur to lead the protest.