PTI alleges abduction of Imran Khan’s nephew in Lahore raid

LAHORE:

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday alleged that men in plain clothes raided the Lahore residence of Aleema Khan, sister of imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan, and abducted her son, Shahrez Khan, in what the opposition party described as an unlawful act of intimidation.

According to PTI leaders, the raid occurred late Wednesday night when a group of unidentified individuals forcibly entered Aleema Khan’s home. Party officials claimed that household staff were assaulted, family members harassed, and Shahrez was taken from his bedroom in front of his children.

PTI’s central information department issued a statement calling the episode “the height of thuggery and oppression,” adding that “even domestic workers were subjected to brutal violence.”

Rana Mudassar Umar, a lawyer for PTI, told the media that Shahrez had no political affiliations and faced no registered cases. He said the party would petition the Lahore High Court for his immediate recovery. “People dressed in plain clothes entered the house and took Aleema Khan’s son with them,” he said. “No case has been registered against him, nor is he related to politics.”

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The party alleged that the incident came just a day after Shahrez was prevented from traveling abroad with his wife, when he was stopped at Lahore Airport and “illegally offloaded” from a flight. PTI leaders said the timing of the two episodes demonstrated a deliberate campaign of harassment targeting Imran Khan’s relatives.

Senior PTI figures condemned the incident in strong terms. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur described the alleged abduction as “despicable” and demanded Shahrez’s safe return. Former opposition leader in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan, also condemned the incident, writing on social media that “such cowardly acts prove that Imran Khan, his family members, and PTI activists cannot be defeated.”

The PTI official account on X, formerly Twitter, alleged that the raid was ordered at the highest levels of government. The statement accused Mohsin Naqvi and the ruling coalition of political vendettas, charging that “families are now being destroyed in the lust for power.” The party further demanded that the Chief Justice of Pakistan intervene and order Shahrez’s immediate release.

The reported raid came just hours after the Supreme Court granted bail to PTI founder Imran Khan in eight cases tied to the violent protests of May 9, 2023. A three-member bench led by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi ruled that observations made during bail proceedings were interim and should not prejudice trial outcomes. PTI leaders said the timing of the raid suggested an attempt to counterbalance the political relief granted to Khan earlier in the day.

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Shahrez Khan, 39, is a well-known triathlete and businessman. Educated at Aitchison College in Lahore, he later earned an MBA from Oxford University before joining Simba Global, an Australia-based linen supplier, where he serves as regional head. PTI highlighted his achievements as Pakistan’s top Ironman athlete, noting that he is only the second Pakistani triathlete ever to qualify for the World Championship. The party insisted that he had no involvement in political activities and was being targeted solely because of his family ties.

The allegations further inflamed political tensions as Imran Khan remains in jail on a series of cases, despite Thursday’s bail rulings. His party has accused the government of systematically targeting Khan’s relatives and supporters in an effort to dismantle PTI’s political base ahead of future elections.

As calls mounted for Shahrez’s release, PTI warned that continued suppression of political dissent could trigger widespread public unrest. “If immediate action is not taken, the anger of the people will become uncontrollable,” the party’s statement said.