Imran Khan’s sisters return to Adiala jail for sit-in after meeting with PTI founder denied again

A week after the Rawalpindi police detained the sisters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, the prolonged sit-in on Adiala Road ended on Wednesday after successful negotiations between the police and the protesters. The founder’s three sisters, along with party leaders and workers, had staged the protest after being denied permission to meet Imran Khan in Adiala jail.

On Tuesday, several PTI leaders, including Aleema Khan, Dr. Uzma, Noreen Khan, Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Salman Akram Raja and Sheikh Waqas Akram, stopped by the police while trying to reach the jail. The sisters were held at the factory check post while other leaders were blocked at the Dahgal check post.

During the sit-in, the participants demanded that the meeting be allowed, shouting slogans and attempting to march towards the prison, although the police prevented any advance. The National and Provincial Assembly members, together with party workers, had joined in solidarity.

Read: Adiala Jail Denies PTI Founder Running X Account From Jail

Negotiations were facilitated with the involvement of Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, Salman Akram Raja and Shahid Khatak, among others, leading to a peaceful resolution. After the negotiations, the founder’s sisters and party leaders ended the sit-in and left the factory checkpoint, returning peacefully after assurances from the authorities.

During the protest, Aleema had told the media that the sit-in would continue until the meeting was granted, and condemned the solitary confinement of the PTI founder as “illegal and unconstitutional”, criticizing women police officers for following illegal orders. Noreen echoed those concerns, saying the family remained in the dark about Imran Khan’s current health and that even a brief meeting had been unfairly denied.

Other leaders including Meena Khan, Sheharyar Afridi and Mushtaq Ghani also participated in the rally. The participants demanded respect for legal and constitutional rights and emphasized their willingness to continue the sit-in despite police efforts to block them.

Barrister Salman Akram Raja vowed to stand by principles and PTI founder’s sisters. “We stand with principles, we stand with the sisters and we will continue to stand with them. We face armed forces, yet we stand unarmed with the strength of principles – and history shows that principles ultimately prevail,” he said.

He added that the people will secure Imran Khan’s release and stressed that it is the public who will decide whether the rule of the constitution will prevail in the country or the rule of brutality.

Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan Vice Chairman Allama Raja Nasir Abbas also warned that the patience of the Pakistani nation should not be tested, adding that if all roads were blocked, people would rise in a revolution. “When people come out, you will beg for a meeting with Khan Sahab, but no one will listen. You will simply be asked to leave,” he said.