Daniyal Shams
MARDAN: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and sister of the party’s jailed founder, Aleema Khan, visited Mardan on Saturday as part of the party’s nationwide street movement seeking the release of former prime minister Imran Khan.
She was received by PTI lawmakers and party workers at Bab-e-Mardan before leading a rally to College Chowk, where it culminated in a public gathering.
Addressing the participants, Aleema Khan said the party could no longer wait for Imran Khan’s release and urged workers to send a clear message to the government that “the man in prison is not alone; the entire nation stands with him.”
She announced that the next phase of the movement would focus on Adiala Jail rather than Islamabad’s D-Chowk. Claiming that her brother had developed an eye problem while in custody, she demanded that he be shifted to a hospital immediately for medical treatment, saying that her only demand was the provision of basic human rights to a prisoner.
Aleema Khan said Imran Khan should be released through the courts but added that such an outcome did not appear likely under the prevailing circumstances. She directed party workers to finalise preparations for the movement in coordination with PTI lawmakers and said no one would be allowed to repeat incidents such as those witnessed on November 26 or resort to firing during the protest campaign.
Among those who also addressed the gathering were Senator Zeeshan Khanzada, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Revenue Minister Tariq Mahmood Aryani, MPAs Zahir Shah Toru, Abdul Salam Afridi, Amir Farzand Khan, Iftikhar Ali Mashwani, Zarshad Khan, Nadia Khattak and Ravi Kumar. The speakers alleged that Imran Khan had been unlawfully imprisoned and claimed that the nation stood firmly behind him. They announced that the party would soon launch a decisive movement for his release.
Meanwhile, three PTI members of the National Assembly from Mardan — Ali Muhammad Khan, Atif Khan and Mujahid Khan — did not attend the rally, prompting some local party workers to express concern over their absence.
During the public meeting, unidentified individuals allegedly stole around 25 mobile phones belonging to Senator Zeeshan Khanzada, PTI Lawyers Forum leader Rehmat Kundi and several party workers.
Separately, Sheikh Maltoon Police said they had arrested a suspect allegedly involved in the mobile phone thefts reported during the PTI gathering.
