Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan plans to spearhead a protest movement from behind bars against the 26th Constitutional Amendment, according to his sister Aleema Khan. Speaking to reporters outside Adiala Jail on Tuesday, Aleema relayed the imprisoned former prime minister’s message to his supporters, stating that he remains steadfast despite enduring solitary confinement and harsh prison conditions.
عمران خان کے بیٹے قاسم اور سلمان پہلے امریکا جائیں گے وہاں اپنے والد پر ہونے والے ظلم کے بارے آگاہ کریں گے، پھر پاکستان میں شروع ہونی والی تحریک میں حصہ لیں گے، عمران خان کو بتا دیا گیا ہے، علیمہ خان۔ pic.twitter.com/gSTWxdL32g
— PTI (@PTIofficial) July 8, 2025
“Imran Khan said he feels free inside jail, while those outside are the ones truly imprisoned,” she remarked. “He urged the people to rise — for themselves, for democracy, and for the rule of law — and to resist the 26th Amendment. Those who cannot shoulder the responsibility of this movement should step aside.”
Aleema added that the protest campaign should culminate on August 5 — a date that marks two years since Khan’s imprisonment.
She claimed that the 26th Amendment has stripped the public of their fundamental rights, and emphasized that their entire family is committed to participating in the protest. She also announced that Khan’s sons, Sulaiman and Qasim, would return from the United States to support the campaign after initially engaging in efforts abroad to raise awareness of their father’s plight.
“Qasim and Sulaiman will first travel to the U.S. to highlight the injustices faced by their father, and then return to join the movement in Pakistan. Imran Khan has been informed of this plan,” she said.
Accompanied by her sisters Noreen and Uzma, Aleema voiced concern over Khan’s treatment in custody, describing it as unprecedented. She claimed she had been denied permission to meet her brother, while other family members were eventually allowed entry.
“He’s being treated differently from other prisoners,” she said. “For the past week, he’s had no access to television, newspapers, or any reading material. His books are just lying in the deputy superintendent’s office.”
Aleema also revealed that Khan has been held in solitary confinement and has not seen his doctor for the past ten months. “They think they can break him — but they won’t,” she asserted, adding that she herself had been barred from meeting him.
Earlier in the day, dozens of PTI supporters gathered at the Gorakhpur checkpoint as Khan’s sisters attempted to reach the jail. Heavy police deployment was seen in the area, with party workers chanting slogans. PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja was also present.
While Aleema was stopped near a local hotel and prevented from moving further, other family members were later granted access to the prison. Former First Lady Bushra Bibi was also allowed to meet her sister-in-law, Mehrunnisa.