Will ask overseas Pakistanis to stop sending remittances: Aleema Khan

RAWALPINDI: Aleema Khan, the sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, warned on Friday that overseas Pakistanis could be asked to stop sending remittances if the government did not meet their key demands including the judicial probe of the May 9 events.

Speaking to the media outside Adiala jail, she said that the country’s economy would collapse without the financial contributions of expatriates. 

 “Overseas Pakistanis are threatened when they speak out. If they halt remittances, this government will not survive,” she said.

Aleema said overseas Pakistanis contribute billions of dollars annually to Pakistan’s economy but are subjected to threats and retaliation, including the destruction of their properties in Pakistan.

“If our demands are ignored, we will urge them to stop sending money. The government will crumble under economic pressure,” she declared. 

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Aleema criticized the government for what she described as “state terrorism” over the past two years.

She demanded the formation of a Supreme Court-led Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to probe the May 9 and November 26 incidents and immediate release of all PTI workers and leaders. 

“The PTI founder has made it clear that if these demands are not addressed, a civil disobedience movement will begin,” she warned. 

Aleema accused the authorities of undermining democracy and key institutions, including Parliament, the judiciary, and the media.

She argued that the current environment was deterring investments and creating widespread insecurity in the country. 

“Those controlling the country have monopolised essential sectors, including power generation. This is not a sustainable system,” she said. 

She also alleged that operations like the crackdown at Jinnah Avenue and D-Chowk resulted in missing of over 150 persons, with families still searching for their loved ones. 

She expressed outrage over reports of human rights violations, stating, “Many parents are still searching for their children in jails. We are pursuing justice not as politicians but as humans.”  

She claimed that Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi would flee the country if the political and economic situation deteriorated further.