RAWALPINDI (MNN); A sit-in led by Aleema Khan, sister of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, continued late Tuesday near Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail after authorities once again refused to grant her a meeting with the former prime minister.
Senior PTI leaders, including Secretary General Salman Akram Raja and KP President Junaid Akbar Khan, joined the protest. Party representatives said multiple attempts had been made to meet Imran in prison, but each request was rejected despite a court order allowing visits on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Last week, however, another sister, Uzma Khan, was permitted to meet Imran. After the meeting, she stated that he was “perfectly fine”.
Speaking in video messages on her way to the jail, Aleema accused the state of violating the law and insisted the PTI had acted lawfully. She said Imran had not been allowed to meet his personal physician for 14 months, asking why a single doctor’s visit was being blocked. She compared the treatment to that of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, who she said had round-the-clock medical access during his incarceration.
Aleema proceeded on foot toward the jail with a large crowd of supporters but was stopped by riot police near Gorakhpur Market on Adiala Road, about a kilometre from the prison. Sitting at the barricade, she recorded another message, calling the restrictions unconstitutional and accusing the authorities of isolating and mistreating Imran.
“We will not move from here; they can beat us or shoot us,” she said.
PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, speaking to the media near Dahgal, urged authorities to allow meetings with the PTI founder, arguing that doing so would help de-escalate tensions. He said the party had a legal right to visit Imran under a consent order, but even then access was denied. He added that political disagreements must not turn into hostility.
Gohar left the area without being allowed to see Imran.
Last Tuesday, Uzma Khan met Imran while hundreds of PTI supporters gathered outside the prison. Her remarks after the meeting, posted later on Imran’s X account, criticized Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir and drew a sharp response from the military’s spokesperson, who called Imran “mentally ill” and a “narcissist”.
The federal government later barred Uzma and others from further meetings, saying prison rules did not permit political discussions and that such discussions took place during her visit. Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said no further exemptions would be allowed.
On the same day, KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was denied access for the ninth time. Speaking outside the jail, he said he would soon announce whether he planned to begin a sit-in.
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar later warned that strict action would be taken against anyone creating a law-and-order issue outside Adiala jail, including arrests and legal proceedings.
