Gohar refutes Aleema’s claim of Imran release deal

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has refuted Aleema Khan’s claim about being offered her brother and party founder Imran Khan’s immediate release. Barrister Gohar said that the talk of releasing the PTI founder within 20 days in exchange for ending the sit-in was wrong. “I had neither mentioned anything about the release nor did the government promise to release the PTI founder within 20 days,” he contended.The PTI chairman further said that he had made no contact in this regard on November 24 or before. No discussion was held with the government about meeting the PTI founder, he added.
Aleema, the PTI founder’s sister, on Saturday claimed that the government came under pressure when the convoys began to arrive in Islamabad for the protest, prompting them to send Barrister Gohar to meet Khan in jail with assurances of his release within 20 days.
Speaking to the media in Lahore, Aleema said that as protests began and people started gathering, the government, in fear, summoned Barrister Gohar. They instructed him to stay at Sangjani, promising to release the PTI founder.
Aleema claimed that the government, under pressure, facilitated Barrister Gohar’s meeting with the PTI founder in jail, reiterating that they would secure his release within 20 days. The PTI staged the “do-or-die” protest — initially meant for November 24 — in the federal capital last month for the release of their incarcerated leader, Khan, on his call.
However, the protest rally, led by the former prime minister’s wife, Bushra Bibi, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, ended abruptly when the law enforcers launched an operation to clear Islamabad’s Red Zone of protesters on the night between November 26-27.