RAWALPINDI (MNN); The sisters of jailed PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan on Tuesday ended their sit-in near Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail and instead moved towards Islamabad to lead a protest rally.
Sit-ins by PTI workers, supporters and Imran Khan’s sisters near the jail on Tuesdays and Thursdays have become a regular feature over recent weeks, as the family says it has been repeatedly denied meetings with the former premier.
The Islamabad High Court, in an order issued on March 24, 2025, directed that Imran Khan be allowed to meet family members twice a week on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Despite the order, his sisters Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Khan Niazi, along with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, have been unable to meet him.
On Tuesday night, PTI media coordinators told Dawn that the sisters abruptly called off the sit-in and began heading towards Murree Road to stage a protest rally in Islamabad. They said there was no fixed plan and that the move was taken on the sisters’ own decision.
A video shared by PTI on X showed multiple vehicles leaving the area, while party workers and supporters continued on foot. The caption said that neither Imran Khan nor Bushra Bibi had been allowed a family meeting and that the sisters and party workers were proceeding towards Islamabad to protest.
Earlier in the day, PTI leaders were stopped at DHA Naka instead of Factory Chowk, where similar sit-ins had been held in the past. The protesters held a Quran khwani at the spot and were later allowed to move slightly ahead.
Speaking to reporters, Uzma Khan said the route was initially blocked, forcing them to use a dirt track. She said the protesters had decided to hold Quran khwani wherever police stopped them.
Uzma warned that Pakistan would be “completely jammed” on February 8, when PTI and opposition parties have announced a nationwide wheel-jam strike. She said Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was acting according to Imran Khan’s guidance and that PTI workers were protesting peacefully due to his political training.
She alleged that Imran Khan was jailed for opposing military operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, claiming such operations were being carried out on instructions from abroad. Uzma also accused police of demanding bribes from PTI supporters outside Adiala Jail and alleged harassment of party workers since the May 9 incidents.
She further urged the public to fly kites carrying Imran Khan’s name and image on February 8, when Basant will be celebrated in Lahore.
Aleema Khan told reporters that the jail superintendent was not allowing them to get a vakalatnama signed. She said the protesters’ demand was Imran Khan’s release, not just permission for meetings.
KP Chief Minister’s adviser on information, Shafiullah Jan, said PTI workers were previously stopped three kilometres from the jail, but on Tuesday they were halted eight kilometres away. He said court orders allowing meetings on Tuesdays and Thursdays were not being implemented.
Jan added that Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was actively addressing provincial issues despite opposition, saying campaigns launched against him had failed.
PTI Islamabad President Amir Mughal said Imran Khan was enduring imprisonment for the sake of the public and youth. He called on people to come out and protest, adding that despite facing 60 FIRs, he still reached Adiala Jail every Tuesday.
He reiterated that the country would be shut down on February 8 and said PTI would support leaders chosen by Imran Khan, including Sohail Afridi, Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas.
Imran Khan has been in jail since August 2023, serving a sentence in the £190 million corruption case, and is also facing trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to the May 9, 2023 protests. In December, a UN special rapporteur warned that his detention conditions could amount to inhuman or degrading treatment and urged Pakistan to comply with international standards.
