Imran Khan's Sister Says Pakistan's Courts ‘Seized’ By Shadow Forces | Exclusive Details

Last Updated:January 13, 2026, 22:21 IST

Aleema Khanum alleged that during proceedings, she and her sisters were 'locked up' in separate sections of the courtroom by security personnel

Aleema also highlighted what she described as a 'spiritual blockade', claiming that authorities have gone as far as to restrict the family and supporters from reading the Holy Quran during their sit-ins. (File pic/AFP)

In a startling escalation of tensions surrounding the legal proceedings of jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, his sister, Aleema Khanum, has accused Pakistan’s intelligence agencies of direct interference in the judicial process. Speaking to the media in Rawalpindi on Tuesday, a visibly distraught Aleema claimed that officials from the premier intelligence agency—whom she alluded to but refrained from naming to avoid immediate arrest—have effectively “seized" control of the courtrooms to ensure dictated verdicts.

The drama unfolded at the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Rawalpindi, where Aleema and her sisters, Uzma and Noreen, appeared for a hearing related to the November 2024 protests. Aleema alleged that during the proceedings, she and her sisters were “locked up" in separate sections of the courtroom by security personnel, preventing them from consulting their legal team or even speaking to one another. “They promised a meeting today, but instead, they have us in cages," she stated. She further alleged that the presence of “unidentified officials" inside the judge’s chamber has stripped the judiciary of its independence, claiming that judges “do not have the courage" to deliver a verdict that contradicts the military establishment’s narrative.

Aleema also highlighted what she described as a “spiritual blockade", claiming that authorities have gone as far as to restrict the family and supporters from reading the Holy Quran during their sit-ins. She recounted an ordeal where a usually 25-minute route to the court took over two hours due to strategic road closures, which she argued were designed solely to prevent peaceful prayer gatherings. “Are they afraid of the Quran now?" she asked. “They have blocked the roads just to stop us from reciting the holy verses, yet they claim to lead an Islamic Republic."

Despite the alleged intimidation, Aleema expressed a glimmer of hope following a massive rally in Karachi led by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. She noted that seeing Afridi “atop a car" amidst a sea of supporters in Sindh brought “joy and strength," signaling that a new generation of leadership is prepared to challenge the status quo. In a final, defiant ultimatum, she joined the call for a nationwide “shutdown" of Pakistan, asserting that a total strike would prove the public is no longer with the current administration. As the court adjourned the hearing amidst the chaos, the Khan family remains entrenched in a high-stakes battle for both legal survival and the “stolen mandate" of the 2024 elections.

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