• Aleema shapes key political decisions by influencing her brother.
• PTI founder’s sister behind recent derailed efforts for dialogue with govt.
• Aleema, along with unelected PTI leader, targets elected party leaders.

ISLAMABAD: With Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) increasingly marred by internal strife, sources within the party say that Aleema Khan — sister of jailed PTI founder Imran Khan — has now effectively taken control of the party’s direction, largely through her influence over its social media.

The development has caused major internal divisions and not only derailed what insiders believe was another serious opportunity for dialogue with the government but furthers the problems for the party and its jailed leader.

According to party sources, Aleema is not only dominating PTI’s social media strategy but is also shaping key political decisions by influencing her brother directly or through other sisters. Khan, currently imprisoned in Adiala jail, is being consistently told that he is being isolated, that his authority is being weakened and that others are attempting to hijack the party from him.

A senior but unelected PTI leader is reportedly aligned with Aleema. Together, they have enabled a faction within the party that now targets elected leaders like PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. 

Both leaders have become the subject of intense criticism from PTI’s official and unofficial social media accounts, where they are often dubbed as “traitors” for allegedly deviating from the party’s hardline stance.

Party insiders claim that recent efforts for political dialogue with the government — reportedly backed by powerful quarters — were also derailed due to Aleema’s aggressive posture and the narrative she conveyed to Imran.

Interestingly, an earlier attempt for dialogue had collapsed allegedly due to Bushra Bibi’s intervention in November last. In that episode, Bushra Bibi had reportedly refused to halt a PTI rally at Sangjani and insisted on marching to D-Chowk, a decision that party sources admit led to the November 26 violence in Islamabad and significantly damaged PTI’s political position at a time when the government was open to talks.

In the more recent case, CM Gandapur had reportedly received a positive signal from the “right quarters” to begin talks with the federal government. However, the initiative stalled when Aleema questioned the legitimacy of the move and publicly challenged the efforts, insisting Imran had not authorised any such engagement.

A few weeks earlier, Barrister Gohar had reportedly met with Imran and conveyed to the party leadership that Khan had agreed to respond positively to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s dialogue offer — made on the floor of the National Assembly — especially given PTI’s support for the government and armed forces during the recent war between Pakistan and India.

However, after a subsequent meeting between Imran and his sisters in jail, the party founder’s position changed. In his next meeting with senior PTI leaders, Khan cited a “misunderstanding” and declared that there would be no dialogue with the government, reiterating that any political engagement would take place only with the establishment.

Internal friction further escalated during the presentation of the 2025–26 fiscal budget in the KP Assembly. Aleema and her close allies within PTI opposed the move, arguing that Imran had directed that the budget should not be passed unless cleared by him. 

Since Gandapur and others did not get permission to meet their jailed leader and discuss the budget proposal, the CM proceeded with the budget process because of legal and constitutional compulsions.

It led to a fierce reaction from PTI’s social media teams. The KP chief minister was again labelled a traitor and accused of working on a “minus Imran Khan formula” — an allegation he has strongly denied.

PTI insiders warn that continued interference from unelected individuals and the growing personalisation of decision-making around Imran’s inner family circle is weakening the party’s institutional cohesion and sabotaging crucial political opportunities. On Tuesday, Imran’s bail refusal in May 9 cases and SC’s earlier direction of concluding all May 9 cases in four months could mean IK would not get bail.

Aleema was though not accessible, a PTI source close to her denied that she controls the party or runs its social media to push her own narrative. Already she has stated publicly that she has no political ambitions.

She was quoted as saying, “Everyone is worried that we might enter politics, but we have no intention of doing so.” She emphasised that she does not have the time for political activities. Aleema reiterated her support for her brother, saying, “He is our leader and our brother. You can do whatever you want; we will stand by him.”

Originally published in The News