Imran Khan’s sons have applied for NICOP as well: Aleema Khan

RAWALPINDI, AUG 2: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan on said Saturday that the former prime minister’s sons Kasim Khan and Sulaiman Khan have applied for National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) — the identity card issued to Pakistani citizens residing outside the country and allowing visa-free entry.

“The PTI founder’s sons have applied for NICOP and visa,” Aleema said while speaking to the media, adding that possess NICOP, but it had since then been lost.

Aleema’s remarks come a day after Minister of State Talal Chaudhry, while responding to her claims that Sulaiman and Kasim were awaiting their visas, questioned her previous claim that the PTI founder’s sons already possessed NICOP.

Sulaiman and Kasim’s purported visit to Pakistan to meet their father. Recently, reports surfaced Khan had barred from travelling to Pakistan and partaking in any political activity.

However, soon after such reports surfaced, the party rubbished them, stating that there’s no doubt that Suleman (28) and Kasim (26) would visit Pakistan for their father.

The 71-year-old cricketer-turned-politician has been behind bars since August 2023 after he was booked in multiple cases ranging from corruption to terrorism since his ouster from power via the opposition’s no-trust motion in April 2022.

Expanding on the youngsters’ visa issue, Aleema said that had the tracking number for their application despite the fact that the people at the embassy were saying that they had not received any application.

A friend called the ambassador and said that permission has to be taken from the Ministry of Interior. I told him that whoever takes permission, take it from [Interior Minister] Mohsin Naqvi.

“Yesterday, a news surfaced that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would be issuing the visa and not the Ministry of Interior,” Aleema said, adding that the ambassador was now not answering any queries.

Furthermore, noting that there was not link between the party’s newly announced protest movement, set to peak on August 5, and Sulaiman and Kasim’s Pakistan visit, the PTI founder’s sister said the movement would have to be driven by the people themselves.