RAWALPINDI: PTI founder Imran Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, along with party workers, staged a sit-in at Factory Naka on Adiala Road on Tuesday after being stopped by police from proceeding towards Adiala Jail to meet the jailed former prime minister.
The protest came amid continued restrictions on meetings with Imran Khan, who has been denied access to his family, party leaders and lawyers for several weeks despite court orders allowing visits on Tuesdays and Thursdays. PTI supporters have responded by holding regular sit-ins near the prison, which have at times been dispersed by police using water cannons and baton charges.
PTI livestreams showed supporters marching towards the jail before being halted at a riot fence, where they chanted slogans and waved national and party flags. Police in riot gear were deployed at the site.
Addressing the gathering and speaking to reporters, Aleema Khan alleged that Imran was being kept in solitary confinement, claiming the government had “resorted to breaking the law” out of fear of dissemination of Khan’s message. She said the authorities were afraid of Imran, which was why he had been jailed.
Responding to reports about possible negotiations with the government following the TTAP’s recent conference, Aleema rejected the notion, saying no such statement had been issued. She said Imran had instead directed PTI leader Sohail Afridi to lead a street movement, a message she said was conveyed by lawyer Salman Safdar during Imran’s conviction in the Toshakhana-II case.
“Anyone talking about negotiations after these instructions cannot be part of Imran Khan’s party,” she said, adding that the protest would continue until meetings with Imran were restored. She questioned what the government intended to negotiate when visits with the PTI founder remained banned.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja also addressed the media, describing the party’s struggle as a nationwide movement for democracy and judicial independence. He termed Imran’s convictions unlawful and based on false cases, saying the party would challenge them through legal appeals as well as in the “court of the people”.
Raja said Imran would be freed when the public decided his case and confirmed that the former premier had instructed KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to lead a protest movement in the province, with a similar campaign to follow in Punjab.
Dismissing reports of talks with the government, Raja said Imran had authorised no one in the party to negotiate, adding that only TTAP chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Senator Allama Nasir held that mandate. He reaffirmed PTI’s stance that the February 8 elections were “stolen”.
Imran Khan has been in prison since August 2023 and is currently serving a 14-year sentence in the £190 million corruption case, while also facing trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to the May 9, 2023 protests. His wife, Bushra Bibi, is serving a seven-year sentence in the same corruption case.
As court-ordered prison visits remain blocked, Imran’s family and party leaders have raised concerns about his detention conditions. A UN special rapporteur has warned that the conditions of his confinement could amount to inhuman or degrading treatment.
On Monday, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry said meetings with the incarcerated PTI founder would remain suspended until February 8.
