RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan is in good health, his sister Uzma Khan said on Tuesday after meeting him at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, ending the weeks-long speculations about the former prime minister’s health condition.
“I will provide in-depth updates after consultations with my sisters [Aleema Khan and Noreen Khan],” Uzma said while speaking to journalists outside Adiala jail after the meeting.
The meeting comes shortly after the authorities greenlighted Uzma to meet him, as the Imran Khan-founded party had raised concerns about his health. Both the party leadership and his family had been prevented from seeing the ex-premier despite court orders.
The party had threatened to hold a protest outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and then march towards the jail to demand that the party leadership and family be allowed to meet Khan.
Government officials said that meetings weren’t allowed under jail rules to ensure the security of not only the ex-premier but also other prisoners. They also alleged that those who met Khan discussed political issues with him.
Speaking to journalists later in the day, Uzma said that the PTI founder was in good health, but he has not been allowed to meet anyone for the past four weeks. She also claimed that Bushra Bibi was being “kept in solitary confinement.”
Uzma further said that Hamid Khan and Salman Akram Raja will select candidates for the bar council elections, while notifications related to the appointments of Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir as opposition leaders in National Assembly and Senate, respectively, should be issued.
She added that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has Imran’s full support, alleging that “the entire Constitution and law are applied only to PTI.”
For her part, Aleema said that the family’s stance is that six family members should be allowed to meet the PTI founder every Tuesday, while six party leaders should be permitted to meet him every Thursday.
She added that court orders regarding these meetings were “already in place.”
Ahead of the protest, which was scheduled for today, the Islamabad and Rawalpindi administrations announced that Section 144 — barring public gatherings and protests — had been imposed in the twin cities.
As the repeated refusals for meetings continued, tensions escalated when Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was denied access to Khan for the eighth time late last month — even after holding a 16-hour sit-in — prompting the announcement of protests.
The PTI founder has been in jail since August 2023, following his removal from office through a no-confidence vote in April 2022.
Ahead of her meeting, Uzma said she was “happy to receive permission for the meeting finally” and added that she would speak to the media after returning from jail.
Speaking to journalists at Factory Naka, Aleema claimed that the incarcerated PTI founder had been kept in solitary confinement for a month.
She criticised the heavy security deployment, claiming police had even “left dirty water on the road” and that the government appeared “fearful of a family visit.”
“They have deployed half of Punjab’s police here today,” she said. “We cannot understand what they are so afraid of.”
Responding to a question, Aleema said that authorities were “worried about her sister [Noreen]’s interview with Indian media”, but vowed to voice concerns globally.
“Meeting our brother is our legal and constitutional right,” she said, adding that the family would wait “as long as necessary” until the meeting was allowed.
She accused Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz of placing “undemocratic” police restrictions and said the government was “lying repeatedly,” insisting that allowing a simple family meeting would end the issue.
The sons of the imprisoned former prime minister have also expressed fears that authorities may be concealing “something irreversible” about his condition after more than three weeks without any verifiable information regarding his well-being.
Kasim Khan told Reuters that despite a court-ordered right to weekly meetings, the family had not had direct contact with him, fuelling speculation about a possible transfer to some other undisclosed location or deterioration of his health.
Heightened security
Security around Adiala Jail has been elevated to high alert, with five additional checkpoints set up along Adiala Jail Road under a special security plan.
Police deployment included personnel from 12 police stations, women officers, and over 700 security officials equipped with anti-riot gear. Vehicles were only allowed to proceed after strict checking, with law-enforcement agencies coordinating to maintain public order.
In view of today’s protest announcement, authorities in the capital have reiterated that Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code remains in force in Islamabad, prohibiting protests, rallies, or public gatherings. The district administration warned that action would be taken immediately against any unlawful activity.
“Police and other law-enforcement agencies have been put on high alert,” the statement said, adding that all security bodies would work together to maintain order. Citizens were advised to avoid activities declared unlawful under Section 144.
Meanwhile, Rawalpindi Deputy Commissioner Hasan Waqar Cheema also imposed Section 144 in the city from December 1 to 3. –Agencies
