Audio leak shines light on ‘differences’ between Imran’s wife, sisters

ISLAMABAD: A fresh audio clip purportedly featuring PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi and his lawyer Latif Khosa is doing the rounds on social media, hinting that all is not well in the former prime minister’s family while he remains behind bars.

In the audio clip, Bushra Bibi and Khosa are allegedly heard talking about Imran Khan’s sisters, complaining about Khosa’s alleged misbehaviour with them in relation to a case. At the start of the audio, the PTI chief’s wife, talking about an instance from the recent past, said there was trouble when the former premier’s sisters and she had discussed the case pertaining to Imran Khan being at risk of being poisoned in Attock Jail. 

In August this year, when Imran was held at the Attock prison, Bushra Bibi had raised concerns about her incarcerated husband’s security and safety, saying he “can be poisoned” there.

In the audio leak, Bushra Bibi is heard saying she told Imran’s sisters about hiring Khosa as a lawyer if she finds it appropriate to do so: “I told them that all my cases will now be dealt with by [Khosa] and the ones that I think are being delayed, I will give to him”.

Khosa is meanwhile heard saying that Imran’s sisters think he had misbehaved with them. The conversation between Khosa and the former prime minister’s sisters allegedly took place when they went to meet the senior lawyer at his office, to register their reservations regarding adding the poisoning bit in the petition filed in the Islamabad High Court. Bushra Bibi then says that: “They said he [Khosa] misbehaved so much with us...”, adding: “I asked them why they had to go to [Khosa’s] office. I said, who are they to ask about it, after which they said ‘We went to ask about writing the line regarding [the] poison’.”

Bushra Bibi -- in the leaked audio -- is then heard saying that, while Imran’s sisters continued to talk, she told her husband that only Khosa would be her lawyer. She also said that Imran Khan’s sisters said they did not want to go to Khosa’s office, but his [Khosa’s] wife insisted they do so.

Khosa, on his part, said that he is “not one to misbehave. I asked them to stop repeatedly insisting. Let me do it the way I find appropriate. This is what they are calling misbehaviour.”

Responding to that, Bushra Bibi then tells Khosa: “I will tell you something. They did not talk about going [to Khosa’s office] for this petition. They say it is a lie. ‘We just went to meet and his behaviour was...” She then added that Imran’s sisters told him that [Khosa] “spoke ill about you in relation to May 9 and [the] cipher’.”

Latif Khosa’s reaction to this alleged conversation and the leaked audio tape was predictably one of annoyance. Speaking to Geo News outside a court in Islamabad, Khosa said that this was “a conversation between a client and lawyer. Those who leaked [the audio] should be ashamed.” Questioning the ethics behind those leaking people’s private conversations and calls, Khosa also said that IHC Justice Babar Sattar had ordered it be found out who had leaked the audio. He added that “people leaking such personal audios should appear in court”.

Responding to media questions regarding the supposed rift within Imran’s family, Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khanum condemned the fact that people’s private conversations are being leaked, adding that it was unethical to release a conversation “between a lawyer and his client”. Calling this a “tamasha’, Aleema Khanum said that this is “the new game-plan. What they don’t understand is that we were never in politics and nor will be. Whoever is releasing such audio [leaks] wants to make it a ‘tamasha’.” She said she did not want to talk about it and also made it clear that neither she nor Bushra Bibi wanted to become the chairperson of the PTI.

Meanwhile, Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan of the IPP has also given her opinion on the alleged ‘family rift’ in the PTI. Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Dr Awan posted a video of her comments on the issue on a TV talk show, adding that: “what was a domestic battle has now come out in the open. The ‘pirni’ first ruined the office of the PM, and is now ruining [Imran’s home -- “Aleema and Uzma”] and the party.” She said Imran seems stuck in the middle of this: “With the ‘pir’ on one side, the ‘sister’ on the other -- what is the prisoner to do?”