RAWALPINDI: Sisters of PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan — Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Khan Niazi — are among around 400 people booked on Wednesday after police dispersed a sit-in near Adiala Jail, where the party chief is currently incarcerated.
In a related development, 14 PTI workers were arrested and produced before an anti-terrorism court (ATC) earlier today, which granted police three days of physical remand and handed the suspects back into custody.
The sit-in had been staged at Factory Naka a day earlier by Imran Khan’s family members, party workers and supporters, demanding a court-mandated Tuesday meeting with the PTI founder. Police launched an operation around 2am, using water cannons and baton charges to disperse the protesters.
According to a first information report (FIR) dated December 17, a copy of which is available with Dawn, 400 suspects — including 35 nominated individuals — were booked under multiple provisions of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) and the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). The charges include terrorism, criminal conspiracy, rioting, attempted murder, obstruction of public servants, use of petrol bombs and violation of Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which prohibits public gatherings.
Among the nominated suspects are Imran Khan’s three sisters, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, PTI leader Aliya Hamza and party lawyer Naeem Panjhuta.
Imran Khan, who has been imprisoned since August 2023, is serving a sentence in the £190 million corruption case and also faces pending trials under the ATA in connection with the May 9, 2023 protests.
The PTI has repeatedly raised concerns about the health and treatment of its founder and his wife during incarceration. Earlier this month, Imran’s son Kasim Khan voiced fears that authorities were concealing critical information about his father’s condition.
However, Imran’s sister Uzma Khan said on December 2 that her brother was “perfectly fine” after meeting him at Adiala Jail. Speaking to the media, she said Imran complained of mental torture, alleging prolonged confinement in his cell and limited access outside it, adding that their meeting lasted around 30 minutes.
Last week, a United Nations special rapporteur warned that Imran Khan was being held in conditions that could amount to inhuman or degrading treatment, urging Pakistani authorities to comply with international human rights standards. The PTI said the report highlighted a serious violation of international law and fundamental human rights.
