By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Information minister on Sunday sharply criticised the sisters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan for appearing on Indian television to voice concerns about his imprisonment, accusing them of defaming the country and failing to condemn India’s policies toward Muslims and Kashmir.
Attaullah Tarar, the minister of information and broadcasting, at a news conference, linked the sisters’ actions to broader political grievances held by Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party and suggested that the interviews were part of a calculated effort to undermine Pakistan’s recent diplomatic and economic gains. “Those who go on Indian channels and defame Pakistan should be ashamed of themselves,” Tarar said.
The comments came amid heightened tensions surrounding Khan’s detention. Last week, his sisters, Aleema Khan, Dr. Uzma Khan and Noreen Niazi, staged a sit-in outside Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where the 73-year-old cricketer-turned-politician has been held since August 2023 on charges including corruption, which he maintains are politically motivated. The PTI said the women were “sitting peacefully” when police manhandled and “violently detained” them after denying them a meeting with Khan.
Tarar dismissed the family’s complaints as exaggerated, pointing to the sisters’ alleged involvement in earlier unrest. “These three sisters of Imran Ahmed Niazi sahib, on May 9 they were also present at the Corps Commander’s House,” he said, referring to protests in 2023 that targeted military installations following Khan’s arrest. He added that “until now they had not been told not to ‘cry victimisation.’” “If you ask my legal opinion, their presence is proof,” Tarar continued. “They were there on May 9, they brought groups there and it is visible in the cameras that all three are present there.”
He described the recent protests as “the drama being made today,” attributing it to the PTI’s frustration over the government’s achievements. “The foreign policy success after Marka-i-Haq was not being digested well by the PTI,” he said. “In their era the economy had dipped; it is (now) moving towards an economy of stability. They are not able to digest this.”
Tarar reserved particular scorn for the sisters’ media appearances, questioning their choice of outlets. “Why are these sisters going on Indian channels and Afghanistan’s channels and crying for their brother?” he asked. The minister focused on an interview given by Niazi to an Indian channel, likely referring to her recent appearance on India Today. “In the interview that Noreen Khan Niazi gave to an Indian channel, did she say that she condemns Modi? Those innocent children that were martyred, did she talk about Irtaza Abbas? Did she talk about those citizens that were martyred in Muridke and Bahawalpur? Did she talk about those soldiers and young officers who were martyred? Did she pay tribute to them?”
The minister accused the family of overlooking critical issues. He slammed Niazi for not condemning “the Hindutva ideology on the Indian channel, the cruelty against Muslims in India, or talking about the issue of India-occupied Kashmir.” “Shame on you!” Tarar said. “That you go on Indian channels and don’t talk about occupied Kashmir, Marka-i-Haq, martyrs, and you go and cry about victimisation about a prisoner who is involved in a corruption case?” He said that Indian media outlets were platforming the family because “this family, and this party’s mindset is against Pakistan.”
The family’s protests have centered on claims that Khan is being held in solitary confinement and denied basic rights, including meetings with relatives and lawyers. Jail authorities and the government have rejected these allegations. This week, rumors circulated online claiming Khan had died in custody, prompting further concern from his sisters. In an interview with Independent Urdu, Khanum said it was likely that the rumors were being spread to gauge public reaction, though she did not specify who might be responsible.
Tarar sought to dispel fears about Khan’s well-being. “Let me assure you: he’s hale and hearty. There’s no issue. He runs every day on a treadmill for an hour,” he said.
The minister portrayed Khan’s conditions as unusually comfortable. “This kind of privileged prisoner, this kind of VVIP prisoner who enjoys five-star hotel facilities, you will not find anywhere in the world,” he added. “But a propaganda is being done on Indian channels and Afghan channels.”
Khan served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, when he was ousted in a parliamentary no-confidence vote. Since then, he has publicly criticized Pakistan’s powerful military generals and the judiciary, accusing them of colluding with his opponents to sideline him and rig the 2024 elections against his party. The military and his rivals have denied these charges.
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