Clash outside Adiala after Imran’s sisters denied meeting
RAWALPINDI: A handful of PTI supporters clashed with police outside the Adiala jail on Tuesday, after the prison administration did not allow the sisters of PTI founder Imran Khan to meet him, prompting the police to baton-charge the crowd to disperse them.
The police also took into custody Mr Khan’s sisters Aleema and Uzma Khan, as well as others, ostensibly to prevent a law and order situation and relocated them to a nearby marriage hall before sending them back to Lahore under police protection via motorway.
Prior to this, a hide-and-seek of sorts between PTI supporters and the police continued for some time, as protesters pelted police officials with stones and the latter responded with baton-charge.
The police took some workers, as well as the sisters of the PTI founder, into custody from near the Gorakhpur checkpoint.
Police take Aleema, others into custody; PTI flays jail administration for denying audience with ex-PM
The sisters and cousins of Imran Khan were taken to a private marquee, where the women sat on the ground in protest.
A group of PTI supporters also gathered outside the marriage hall and shouted slogans in favour of their leader and demanded his release from the jail. However, the situation was defused and they were sent to their homes via motorway.
PTI leader Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has condemned the detention of Mr Khan’s family members, calling it illegal and unconstitutional.
Speaking to the media outside the prison, Barrister Gohar said the meeting was the right of Mr Khan’s sisters in light of the high court order.
Despite the directive, the decision to deny them the meeting was incomprehensible, he said.
According to Barrister Gohar, Mr Khan’s sisters have not been allowed to meet their brother the last two times, due to which they had announced a sit-in on Tuesday.
He said that just as Bushra Bibi’s family was allowed to meet her, the family of the PTI founder should have been allowed a meeting as well.
In response to a question, Barrister Gohar claimed that the PTI workers did not hurl stones at the police, nor did the PTI give a call for a sit-in. They had only come to express solidarity with the PTI founder’s sisters.
Later, in a press conference at the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa House, Barrister Gohar said Mr Khan’s family had not been allowed to meet him since March 20.
Speaking about the events that transpired outside the prison, the PTI leader said Ms Aleema told the police that she would not leave the premises unless a meeting was arranged with her brother.
After six hours, the police detained the sisters of Mr Khan along with Sahibzada Hamid Raza.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja said they wanted to arrange a meeting of the Lahore Bar’s office-bearers with Mr Khan, but the jail administration changed the names of the visitors.
He said a list of six persons was shared with the administration for the meeting but the names, finalised by the jail administration, did not exist in the list.
On the other hand, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said police had not arrested the sisters of the former prime minister or any other women.
‘Use of force’
In a statement, PTI Central Information Secretary Sheikh Waqqas Akram condemned both the use of force against protesters and the detention of Mr Khan’s sisters and PTI leader Aliya Hamza and party workers, lawyers, and journalists outside the prison.
He criticised jail authorities for defying the IHC orders and urged the courts to ensure the implementation of their orders.
Published in Dawn, April 9th, 2025