Imran Khan’s sisters reach Adiala jail gate but are denied meeting

ISLAMABAD: The sisters of former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan reached the main gate of Adiala jail on Tuesday but were not allowed to meet him, according to Aleema Khan.

Speaking to reporters after returning, Aleema Khan said the family had managed to get to the jail gate, unlike previous occasions when, she said, police usually stopped them before they could proceed further.

She said “Usually, police do not allow us to proceed onward and the jail administration informs the court that we did not arrive because of which the meeting could not be arranged”.

Aleema said that this time the sisters informed jail authorities of their presence after reaching outside the gate. She added that they ensured their faces were captured on CCTV cameras so that the jail administration could not later deny that they had come.

When asked how they had managed to reach the main gate, Aleema said they would not disclose the method because doing so could make it harder to repeat in future. She further said they could have remained there, but police personnel asked them to leave, saying their jobs would otherwise be at risk.

She stated “we could have stayed there but police officials asked us to leave because their jobs would be in danger otherwise”.

Aleema also referred to arrests made during a protest outside the jail last week. She said 51 workers had been taken into custody and that efforts were under way to secure their release.

Commenting on the matter, she said “unfortunately, they have appointed judges who cannot make decisions without taking dictation.”

She also spoke about a meeting between Barrister Salman Safdar and Imran Khan that took place on court orders. According to Aleema, Imran told Safdar that there had been some improvement after the first injection given for his eye condition, but no improvement after that.

“Imran said that there was an improvement after the first injection; however, there was no improvement after that”, Aleema said.

Meetings allowed under IHC order

In recent weeks, PTI has been calling for Imran Khan to be shifted to Shifa International Hospital after his eye ailment became public earlier this year.

The Islamabad High Court has permitted Imran Khan to meet family members, lawyers and other associates twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Despite that order, he has largely remained unable to meet visitors for several months.