‘Unconstitutional and illegal’: Imran Khan’s sisters, PTI members hold sit-in outside Adiala jail after meeting denied

Islamabad: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) members on Tuesday held a sit-in outside Adiala jail in Rawalpindi after jail authorities once again did not allow them to meet the founding PTI chairman, local media reported.

In video statements while heading to the prison on Tuesday, Aleema alleged that the state had been violating the law while insisting that Imran Khan-founded Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has not done anything illegal, Pakistan’s leading daily Dawn reported.

She said, “If they do operate illegally and we do our work according to the law, and if they are right and we are wrong, then that shows just how our system works.” Aleema Khan mentioned that Imran Khan has not been permitted to meet his personal physician for the past 14 months.

She asked, “What is the issue in allowing one doctor to meet Imran Khan?” She said, “When Nawaz Sharif went to jail, a doctor was with him all day, counting his platelets,” and asked, “What sort of system is this?”

While walking towards prison in Rawalpindi along with PTI members and supporters, Aleema Khan reached Gorakhpur Market on Adiala Road — about a kilometre southwest of the prison — before being stopped by police, Dawn reported.

While sitting near the police barricade, she said, “This is unconstitutional and illegal. Why are they keeping Imran Khan isolated and tortured?” She accused the authorities of violating the Constitution and the law.

Khan, who has remained in prison since August 2023, faces multiple cases, including corruption and terrorism, since his ouster from power through a no-trust motion in 2022.

On December 2, Imran Khan’s sister Uzma Khanum said that her brother’s health is “fine”, though he continues to face mental torture.

Speaking to reporters after meeting Khan at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, Uzma Khanum said, “Imran Khan’s health is fine. However, he was very angry and said that they were subjecting him to mental torture. He is kept in his room throughout the day, with only a little time to go outside, and there is no communication with anyone.”

Later on December 4, Pakistan’s federal government banned Uzma Khan and others from meeting Imran Khan over an alleged breach of the prison code.

Pakistan’s Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar said, “There is no room in the [prison] rules for political discussions, and it was reported that political discussions occurred, so meetings are now banned for Uzma Khan. This won’t happen.”

Last week, Imran Khan filed a plea in the Islamabad High Court, seeking permission to conduct his medical tests and examinations in three days at the Shaukat Khanum Hospital. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party founder filed the petition in the court through Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi.

The petition has requested the court to order monthly medical check-ups and tests for Imran Khan at Shaukat Khanum Hospital. It also requested the court to order full access to medical teams and permit medical examinations as per Imran Khan’s medical history and current health condition, Pakistan’s another leading daily, The News International, reported. In the plea, Imran Khan has requested that a copy of the medical report be given to the PTI founder’s family and presented in court.

IANS