A fierce and highly personal political confrontation erupted when Aleema Khan, the sister of jailed former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, launched a blistering attack on Pakistan’s army chief, General Asim Munir. In an interview with Sky News journalist Yalda Hakim, she portrayed Munir as a “radicalized Islamist” and an “Islamic conservative” who, she claimed, harbours a desire for a full-scale military conflict with India. According to Aleema, Munir’s alleged hardline religious ideology drives his hostility toward countries and communities that do not subscribe to his beliefs. She contrasted this portrayal by describing her brother as a “pure liberal” who, she argued, has consistently sought peace with India rather than confrontation.
Aleema asserted that whenever Imran Khan has been in a position of power, he has made attempts to improve relations with New Delhi and even with the BJP government, whereas she accused Munir of deliberately steering Pakistan toward war. She urged Western governments to intervene more aggressively for her brother’s release, calling him an “asset” who has been victimized for refusing to conform to the military establishment’s agenda. Her remarks came shortly after their sister Uzma was allowed a jail visit amid circulating rumours that Imran’s safety and life were in danger.
Her comments reflect a continuation of the bitter feud between Imran Khan and the military leadership. Just a day before, Imran himself issued a statement from prison in which he attacked Munir in unprecedented terms, branding him a “mentally unstable tyrant” who, he alleged, should be held responsible if any harm came to him in custody. Imran claimed he and his wife were imprisoned on fabricated charges and subjected to psychological harassment, alleging that his detention conditions resembled death-row confinement and that he had been treated “worse than animals.” He also argued that Munir’s policies had pushed Pakistan into deep instability, saying terrorism had spiralled out of control because of the army chief’s decisions and that the country was being sacrificed to extremism for personal power and interests.
Aleema’s comments, together with Imran’s prison statement, illustrate the extraordinary deterioration in relations between Pakistan’s former prime minister and the country’s powerful military establishment — a rupture that has fuelled political turmoil and raised tensions both within the country and in its relationship with India.
