- Imran’s sisters, party leaders barred from jail visit as party insists on IHC order allowing twice-weekly meetings
- Aleema Khan vows sit-in will continue until access granted, accusing authorities of defying court directives
- Salman Akram Raja calls denial of meetings a human rights issue, saying PTI to press ahead with protest movement
RAWALPINDI: PTI leaders and former prime minister Imran Khan’s sisters were once again denied permission to meet him at Adiala Jail on Tuesday, prompting them to stage a sit-in near the prison as the party accused authorities of defying court orders allowing twice-weekly meetings with the jailed PTI founder.
On March 24, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) issued an order mandating that meetings with Imran Khan be permitted twice a week—on Tuesdays and Thursdays. However, the PTI maintains that the order is not being implemented. Party leaders and supporters have repeatedly staged sit-ins outside the jail to press for access, some of which were dispersed using water cannons.
Speaking to media persons at the protest site, Aleema Khan said that she and her sisters would continue the sit-in and would not leave until they were allowed to meet their brother.
She also praised Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, saying the size of his entourage during his recent visit to Punjab should not be the focus.
“What should be gauged is how afraid the Punjab government was of Sohail Afridi and supporters of Imran Khan,” she said, alleging that roads, food streets and other areas were blocked during the visit. “Despite this, the people of Lahore proved that they truly support Imran Khan,” she added.
Aleema termed it “unfortunate” that authorities continued to deny meetings with the PTI founder.
Responding to a question on dialogue, she said that the Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) had not sought talks with the government, adding that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had extended the invitation.
“However, on the instructions of Imran Khan, who has directed Sohail Afridi to begin preparations for a movement, we are on the roads,” she said, adding that she and her sisters would persist in demanding a meeting.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said it was a basic human right for prisoners to meet their family members and condemned what he described as Imran Khan’s “solitary confinement”.
Raja said the party was aware that the meeting might not be allowed but added that PTI leaders would continue visiting the jail to protest and convey their message of support.
Replying to a question, he said talks with the government would be meaningless under the current circumstances, as the authorities were “not showing any seriousness”.
Imran Khan, who has been imprisoned since August 2023, is serving a sentence at Adiala Jail in the £190 million corruption case and also faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to the May 9, 2023 protests.
The PTI has repeatedly raised concerns about Imran Khan’s health and that of his wife. His son, Kasim Khan, said in a December 1 interview that authorities might be concealing “something irreversible” about his father’s condition.
However, Imran Khan’s sister Uzma Khanum said that on December 2 that he was “perfectly fine” after she was allowed to meet him, dispelling rumours about his health.
Speaking briefly to the media after the meeting, she said, “Imran Khan’s health is perfectly fine. However, he was very angry and said that they are subjecting him to mental torture.”
She added that Imran was confined to his cell throughout the day and allowed only limited time outside, with no communication with anyone. The meeting, she said, lasted around 30 minutes.
Noreen, sister of PTI founder, launched a sharp criticism of the Punjab government, accusing it of attempting to suppress public mobilization by blocking roads and targeting party workers.
Speaking to reporters in Rawalpindi, she said the Punjab administration was fearful of people taking to the streets, prompting authorities in Lahore to shut down roads and markets. “The Punjab government was afraid that people would come out,” she said. “Routes were blocked in Lahore, and workers, MPAs and MNAs were beaten.”
Noreen also referred to the security situation in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, alleging that violence in the province was part of an effort to weaken the PTI-led provincial government. “Everyone knows who is behind the killings taking place in K-P,” she said. “This is being done to weaken the K-P government.”
She said PTI’s protest movement was ongoing and would continue to grow. “Our movement has already begun, and you will see it expand,” she said. Referring to party leader Sohail Afridi, she said the entire party leadership stood with him and praised his handling of the situation during the protests.
Police disperse PTI sit-in near Adiala Jail
Police in Rawalpindi dispersed a sit-in staged near Adiala Jail by the sisters of Imran Khan and party workers. The protest was organized after the sisters of the PTI founder—Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Khan—were once again denied permission to meet him.
Police did not allow the three sisters, PTI leaders and workers to proceed beyond the Factory checkpoint near the jail. Following the restriction, the sisters, led by Aleema Khan, staged a sit-in at the checkpoint.
A large number of PTI leaders and supporters later reached the site to express solidarity with the sisters. Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Salman Akram Raja were among senior party figures who arrived at the checkpoint and joined the protest.
However, Aleema Khan expressed displeasure over the absence of other senior leaders. “There is not so much engagement that someone cannot spare even half an hour to come here,” she said. “Everyone should come to Adiala Jail.”
Earlier this month, a United Nations special rapporteur warned that Imran Khan was being held in conditions that could amount to inhuman or degrading treatment and urged Pakistani authorities to comply with international norms and standards.
Reacting to the report, the PTI said it highlighted the “degrading treatment” of the party founder at Adiala Jail and constituted a “blatant violation of international law and fundamental human rights.”
Last week, Aleema Khan and PTI workers ended a sit-in at Rawalpindi’s Factory Naka hours after they were again stopped from proceeding towards Adiala Jail in an attempt to meet the incarcerated former premier.
