ISLAMABAD — Pakistan Tehreek‑e‑Insaf (PTI) founder and former prime minister Imran Khan has directed his party to boycott upcoming by‑elections and resign from all parliamentary committees, according to his sister Aleema Khan.
Speaking to the media outside Adiala Central Jail after meeting Imran Khan alongside her two sisters, Aleema Khan said the PTI founder believes participating in the by‑polls would “provide legal legitimacy” to the electoral process, which he opposes.
“Nothing will be achieved by keeping us in solitary confinement and intimidating us. I will neither bow down nor make any deal,” Aleema quoted her brother as saying.
According to Dawn News, Aleema Khan relayed that Imran Khan’s health is generally fine, though he is experiencing an eye problem for which a court application has been filed to allow examination by doctors from PIMS Hospital. She added that he expressed concern for his wife Bushra Bibi, saying that “if the judges had a conscience, there would not have been so much cruelty.”
The PTI founder, she said, also condemned the arrests of Sher Shah and Shahrez, holding the judiciary responsible for “cruelty and abuse,” and criticized recent convictions and disqualifications of party leaders as unprecedented in Pakistan’s history.
On national issues, Aleema Khan quoted Imran Khan as opposing any new military operation in Waziristan, warning it would create instability. He also rejected the expulsion of Afghan refugees, calling it “against Islamic traditions” and expressing shame over their forced return.
Imran Khan, she added, lamented the flood devastation in Buner and other areas, urging the public to recognize the importance of the Billion Tree Project.
Regarding internal party matters, Aleema Khan said Imran Khan instructed Barrister Gohar Khan and Salman Akram Raja to follow his stance on boycotting the by‑elections. While rejecting Raja’s resignation, he has called for a political committee meeting to finalize the decision after party consultations.
Bushra Bibi’s health, Aleema noted, was good, and the atmosphere in court earlier in the day was “positive.”