RAWALPINDI: Uzma Khanum, sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, said on Tuesday that the former prime minister was in good health following a long-awaited meeting at Adiala Jail — the first in weeks despite multiple court orders.
Speaking to reporters outside the prison, Uzma said the interaction went smoothly and sought to reassure party supporters. “Alhamdulillah, his condition is fine and he is fully recovering,” she said, offering a rare firsthand update amid ongoing concerns about Imran’s wellbeing.
Uzma quoted the PTI founder as complaining that he was being denied communication and regular visitation. “They are subjecting me to mental torture. One person is responsible for all of this,” she quoted him as saying. She added that Imran appeared visibly frustrated, alleging he was confined to his room for most of the day and allowed limited time outdoors.
Her meeting came after weeks of refusals by the jail administration, despite court directives allowing family and party leaders to meet the incarcerated PTI chief.
Restricted Visitation
Tuesday was the designated visitation day for Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi. Imran’s sisters — Aleema Khanum, Noreen Niazi and Uzma — arrived at the Gorakhpur checkpoint alongside Barrister Salman Akram Raja and a large number of PTI workers. However, authorities permitted only Uzma to meet him, restoring visitation rights after a 29-day suspension.
The Islamabad Capital Territory and Rawalpindi district administrations had imposed Section 144 a day earlier, following PTI’s announcement of protests outside Adiala Jail and the Islamabad High Court.
Aleema Moves IHC on Contempt Plea
Separately, Aleema Khan last week filed a contempt of court petition with the Islamabad High Court (IHC), accusing Adiala Jail authorities of defying binding judicial orders permitting meetings with Imran Khan.
The petition was filed amid heightened tensions outside the prison, where Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and PTI lawmakers staged an overnight sit-in after Afridi was denied access for the eighth time last Thursday.
The plea names Adiala Jail Superintendent Abdul Ghafoor Anjum, Saddar Beroni SHO Raja Aizaz Azeem, Interior Secretary Capt (retd) Muhammad Khurram Agha and Punjab Home Department Secretary Noorul Amin as respondents.
Earlier, Aleema and CM Afridi had visited the IHC seeking an audience with the court’s top judge. Speaking to the media afterward, Afridi claimed they were told that the chief justice “did not want to meet them.”
