A quiet meeting between senior PTI leaders and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has set off a political storm.
The encounter has revived talk of possible back-channel contacts between the opposition party and the country’s power centres. It has also exposed fresh questions about how well PTI’s own leadership keeps Imran Khan’s family informed, because the family says it knew nothing about the meeting beforehand.
How the Story Broke
The controversy began with a post on X on Sunday. The post claimed that Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, had attended a meeting with the interior minister alongside PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.
Aleema Khan quickly pushed back. On X, she rejected the claim and said no member of Imran Khan’s family had been present or informed in advance. Yet her denial did something unexpected. By rejecting the rumour, she effectively confirmed that the meeting had happened, and the story moved into full public view.
Talk of a meeting between Barrister Gohar and Naqvi at Gohar’s residence had circulated for days. During that time, neither PTI nor Gohar confirmed it. The matter stayed in the background until Aleema’s statement pulled it forward. Soon after, Sohail Afridi’s name surfaced too, and PTI’s senior leadership later acknowledged his presence.
What PTI Says Happened
Barrister Gohar confirmed to reporters that the meeting had taken place. He repeated that no one from Imran Khan’s family attended. However, he declined to discuss the agenda or what the participants actually talked about.
PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas filled in more detail. He said he had spoken to Gohar directly, who confirmed both the meeting and Afridi’s presence. According to Waqas, the meeting happened on May 14 and dealt strictly with law and order. The agenda, he said, centred on the security situation in Bannu and wider concerns about public order.
Waqas also tackled the family question head-on. PTI did not inform Imran Khan’s relatives, he said, because the matter did not concern them. As part of the senior leadership, he added, Gohar held the authority to lead such talks. Everyone involved, according to Waqas, insisted the discussion stayed within security and public-order limits.
Sohail Afridi made a similar point. Quote-tweeting Aleema Khan on X, the chief minister confirmed that he had met Naqvi over recent terrorist incidents in Bannu and the province’s law and order. He stated flatly that no political talks took place, and he dismissed any reports suggesting otherwise.
The Bannu Attack Behind the Meeting
The security backdrop is real and recent. On the night of May 9, just five days before the meeting, militants struck a police post in Bannu district. Attackers rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into the post, then launched a coordinated assault with heavy weapons and drones. Reports put the police death toll at more than 20 officers.
The newly emerged armed group Ittehad-ul-Mujahideen Pakistan claimed the attack. In the days that followed, the Pakistan Army, police, and Counter Terrorism Department launched a joint operation in the area. That operation killed 16 militants, including two commanders. PTI now points to this crisis as the reason its leaders sat down with the interior minister.
Why the Timing Raised Eyebrows
Afridi’s explanation answered the “what,” yet it did not settle the “why now.” Political observers still fixed on two things: the timing of the meeting and how little anyone knew about it. A sit-down with the interior minister that only came to light through a social media post was always going to invite questions.
The episode also lands amid long-running worry over Imran Khan’s health in Adiala Jail. In recent months, doctors took him to PIMS several times to treat a worsening eye condition. His legal team filed petitions in the Islamabad High Court, seeking specialist care and access to his personal physicians. A joint medical board reported in March that his condition had improved. However, the family disputed that finding and insisted that no medical decisions be made without its consent.
An Old Tension Resurfaces
For many, the meeting fits a familiar pattern. Tension between Imran Khan’s family and PTI’s senior leadership over communication is nothing new. Back in February, Aleema Khan publicly criticised the leadership over its handling of the medical situation, objecting to decisions taken without the family’s knowledge. Gohar, for his part, admitted a communication gap at the time, while insisting that efforts to secure Khan’s release stayed coordinated.
The latest controversy, which surfaced only through an X post, looks like one more chapter in that unresolved story.
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