ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said on Friday that meetings between jailed PTI founder Imran Khan and his family should be permitted, but strictly in line with legal requirements and prison rules.
Imran Khan, imprisoned since August 2023 and serving a 14-year sentence in a corruption case, has repeatedly been denied family visits in recent weeks despite court orders. His family and party leaders have staged protests outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, demanding access.
His sister Aleema Khan has filed a contempt of court petition against the Adiala jail superintendent and others for failing to implement an earlier Islamabad High Court (IHC) directive reinstating twice-weekly meetings.
Speaking in a TV talk show, Sanaullah said: “There should be permission for meetings, and they should definitely take place. But a 90-minute press conference cannot take place after an hour’s meeting — no law allows this.”
He added that political consultations could not be conducted during the meetings, saying no legal provision allows a prisoner to direct political movements from behind bars. He also criticised family members for holding press conferences outside the jail and for the surge of messages appearing on social media against state institutions following such visits.
Sanaullah maintained that the IHC order itself was conditional on similar restrictions. “They [Imran’s family and legal team] should sit down with jail authorities and settle matters,” he said, adding that meetings must be carried out properly without violations from either side.
He reiterated that meetings were being blocked because they were not being held in accordance with prison rules. “The meeting should be in accordance with the law,” he said.
The controversy escalated after Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and other PTI leaders staged an overnight sit-in outside Adiala Jail on Thursday, after Afridi was denied a meeting with Imran for the eighth time. Imran’s sisters, including Aleema, have also held multiple sit-ins outside the prison after being barred from seeing him.
The PTI ended its latest sit-in on Friday morning, with the KP chief minister announcing that they would approach the IHC — where Aleema subsequently filed the contempt plea.
