Sisters of PTI founder Imran Khan sit outside Adiala jail after a meeting was rejected on Tuesday. Photo: X/PTI
RAWALPINDI:
A planned family and legal meeting with former prime minister and PTI founder Imran Khan at the Adiala jail on Tuesday ended without visitors, triggering a prolonged protest sit-in outside the jail by his sisters and senior party leaders as authorities locked down the area under heavy security.
As tensions simmered outside Adiala prison, senior party leaders stepped up pressure on authorities, warning that continued restrictions were deepening political fault lines and fueling public anger.
Despite Tuesday (December 9) being designated as a family, lawyer and relatives meeting day at Adiala Jail, no one was allowed to meet Imran Khan.
According to the party’s sources, the meeting window runs from 2 pm to around 4-4.30 pm. But at exactly 4 pm, Aleema Khan and members of PTI’s central leadership were informed that there would be no meeting today.
Moreover, the officials also refused to give any assurance that a meeting would be allowed on Thursday, December 11.
Later, Imran Khan’s three sisters – Aleema Khan, Noreen Khan and Dr. Uzma Khan – a protest sit-in outside Adiala Jail. They were soon joined by PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali, General Secretary Salman Akram Raja, Rehana Dar, Aamer Dogar and Senator Aon Abbas Buppi.
Several MNAs and party leaders including Junaid Akbar, Shahid Khattak, Meena Khan, Farrukh Sial, Niazullah Khan Niazi and Naeem Panjutha also joined.
The sit-in continued late into the night amid periodic shouts from party workers.
The prison and surrounding areas were put under complete lockdown. Roads leading to Adiala prison were sealed for nearly four kilometers on both sides, with markets, petrol pumps and schools closed in nearby localities.
The police also quietly took possession of vehicles parked by party leaders and workers at some distance from the jail and shifted them to a police force in Bahria Town, triggering fresh tension at the site.
Addressing protesters, Aleema Khan said there was no confrontation with the police. “The police are our brothers and they treat us well,” she said, urging the workers to stay back as women were present at the protest.
She added that the police personnel themselves appeared uneasy and stressed that meetings with Imran Khan had not been allowed for a long time. “He is being subjected to mental torture,” she said, adding that the former premier “remains resolute”.
Aleema Khan said her sister had not participated in any political discussion during the previous meeting and argued that talking about government employees could not be termed as political activity.
Questioning the repeated justification for restricting access, she asked, “How is the PTI founder a national security threat? Just give us an example.”
She also questioned under whose order Imran Khan was kept in solitary confinement. “We have come here for over a month just to seek meetings,” she said, adding that criticism of an institution or its leader did not constitute a national security threat.
She urged reporters to “think carefully” about how they phrased the question and warned that she would otherwise refrain from speaking.
