Imran Khan’s sisters stage sit-in outside Adiala jail after being denied meeting with PTI founder

Imran Khan’s sisters staged a sit-in outside Adiala jail after being denied a meeting with the PTI founder, while Aleema Khan said the family had no option but to protest after being repeatedly stopped from meeting him.

“We’re not doing anything illegal or unconstitutional. If we’re stopped like this every week, what option do we have but to protest?” she said while speaking to the media near the factory’s checkpoint.

Sisters of PTI founder, Aleema Khan, Noreen Khan and Dr. Uzma Khan, along with senior party leaders arrived near Adiala Jail for a scheduled family meeting. However, despite Tuesday being designated for family and lawyer visits, jail authorities informed Aleema Khan and senior PTI leadership around 16:00 that the meeting would not be facilitated.

Aleema Khan warned that the family would not be dispersed if the meeting was denied, saying: “If they don’t allow the meeting, let them not. We are sitting here peacefully. Today we have even brought blankets with us.”

Read: Negotiations underway as PTI sit-in continues outside Adiala jail

Security in and around the Adiala jail was significantly tightened, with additional police forces deployed, water cannons stationed at Gate No. 5 and barricades set up at several entry points, including Gorakhpur and the factory check post. Markets in the surrounding areas were shut down, petrol pumps closed and public and private schools closed. PTI workers also started arriving near the jail amid heightened security.

Aleema Khan said the PTI founder’s demands were limited to constitutional principles. “The demand of the founder is the restoration of the constitution, democracy and the rule of law,” she said, adding that Imran Khan had been imprisoned for over two and a half years.

She questioned the repeated denial of meetings and asked why the PTI founder’s family was not allowed to meet him in accordance with the law. “The government should tell us why the family of the PTI founder is not allowed to meet him,” she said.

Referring to broader issues, Aleema Khan said the closure of Afghan trade had left many people unemployed, while the judiciary had been pushed out of its constitutional independence. “Conditions in Pakistan are going from bad to worse,” she said.

Read more: Aleema warns that silence will spare no one

She also questioned restrictions on conversations during prison meetings. “If there was a discussion about the army chief, what is the problem? The government should explain what political discussion my sister allegedly had in the previous meeting,” she said.

Noreen Niazi, speaking on the occasion, rejected allegations of violence and criticized the police action. “We are not terrorists. PTI is a peaceful party. Water cannons were used against us and people were injured. Punjab police is behaving like a terrorist force,” she said.

Salman Akram Raja calls for wider solidarity

Senior PTI leader Salman Akram Raja, addressing the media at the factory check post, said expressing solidarity with Imran Khan’s sisters was not limited to lawmakers alone.

“Coming here is not just the job of MPs. Everyone who believes in democracy and the rule of law should be here,” he said.

He called restrictions on talking during prison meetings illegal, saying no law allowed a person to remain silent. “How can anyone tell a human what they can talk about?” he asked.

Raja also referred to the worsening security situation, terming the APS tragedy deeply painful and warned that terrorism was again on the rise. He added that promises made to people after the merger of the tribal areas had not been fulfilled.

He claimed that the clause barring political discussion in the prison rules was introduced during the era of General Zia-ul-Haq and argued that it violated fundamental rights.

The situation remained tense till the filing of this report, with heavy police presence and continued protests near the Adiala prison.