Imran won’t take deal, despite govt pressure, says Aleema – Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Aleema Khan, the sister of PTI founder Imran Khan, has said her brother will not sign a deal with the government despite being “pressured to do so”.

While talking to reporters on Tuesday outside the Adiala Jail, where her brother is incarcerated, Ms Khan accused the government of “using all possible tactics” to pressurise her brother.

“But Imran Khan has said that no matter what happens, he will not compromise and not sign a deal with the government,” she claimed.

She also said that her brother was in good health and had no pain in his ear.

A team of doctors who examined the PTI founder in prison on Monday claimed that he was feeling pain in his ear.

The team of doctors from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) was headed by ENT spec­ialist Dr Altaf Hussain.

Ms Khan said the rum­o­urs circulating on social media regarding the hea­lth of her brother were baseless.

She also dismissed the rumours that her brother was suffering from a brain infection. “Allah is protecting him,” she said and claimed her brother was in good health.

However, she said there were restrictions on her brother in prison, due to which he was unable to communicate with his personal doctor and family members.

Ms Khan said that it was unfortunate that her brother was not being allowed to speak to his children and revealed that PTI lawyers, led by Salman Akram Raja, will file a petition in this regard.

While replying to a question, she said the verdict on PTI’s appeal in the Al-Qadir case might be announced in a week or so.

However, she claimed that some individuals were trying to delay the decision. She didn’t give any more details or name anyone.

While talking about cricket, Ms Khan said that her brother — former captain of the Pakistan cricket team — was not pleased with the proposal to change the name of Peshawar’s Arbab Niaz Stadium.

He has demanded that the stadium not be renamed.

Last week, it was reported that the PTI government in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has decided to rename the stadium — currently named after Arbab Niaz, former federal minister for sports — to honour the former captain’s role in shaping the nation’s sports landscape.

Govt’s performance

Meanwhile, the leader of opposition in National Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan, has said the government has failed in all sectors.

While rebuffing the government’s claim of progress, Mr Ayub said large-scale manufacturing has shrunk in the past year since the PML-N government took power.

The rate of electricity and gas have also gone up, he claimed, adding the per unit electricity tariff during PTI’s tenure was Rs17, but it has now increased to Rs85, he claimed.

Similarly, there has been a “400pc increase” in gas prices.

He accused the government of releasing forged data regarding inflation.

Foreign investment has been stopped in Pakistan, while security issues have also worsened, he said, censuring the government.“The government is unwilling to speak the truth,” Mr Ayub said.

Published in Dawn, March 5th, 2025