By Staff Reporter
RAWALPINDI: Uzma Khanum, a sister of Pakistan’s imprisoned former prime minister Imran Khan, said on Tuesday that her brother was “perfectly fine” physically after a tightly supervised meeting with him in Adiala Jail, dispelling rumors that had swirled for weeks about his health and possible mistreatment.
But she described him as angry and deeply disturbed, accusing authorities of subjecting him and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to “mental torture” in confinement that she said was worse than any physical hardship.
The visit, which lasted about 30 minutes and took place without mobile devices under strict oversight by prison officials, came amid mounting pressure from Khan’s family and supporters in his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, who have protested restrictions on access to the 73-year-old leader.
Khan, who served as prime minister from 2018 until his ouster in a no-confidence vote in 2022, has been held in Adiala Jail since his arrest in August 2023 on corruption charges that he and his allies insist are politically motivated. The PTI has long accused the military and government of orchestrating his removal in collusion with rivals — allegations denied by his opponents and the military, which maintains it does not interfere in politics. He is serving sentences in multiple cases, and his party has repeatedly claimed that routine visits have been blocked for weeks despite court orders, stoking fears of his condition and even speculation about prison transfers or worse.
Speaking to reporters outside the jail, flanked by another sister, Aleema Khanum, and PTI leaders, Khanum said, “Imran Khan’s health is perfectly fine. However, he was very angry and said that they are subjecting him to mental torture.” She added that her brother was confined to his cell most of the day, allowed only a short time outside, and was not in communication with anyone.
In a separate exchange with the media, Khanum added that “when I met him, he was very disturbed and very angry. He said that they are keeping him and Bushra Bibi in such mental torture in a small room, he said he was not allowed to meet anyone for four weeks … he said this mental torture is worse than physical torture.” Khanum, a doctor, also said her brother appeared “physically well” but was under psychological strain from the prolonged isolation.
She noted that he grew even more upset when she informed him of the treatment recently endured by their sister Noreen Niazi, who along with Aleema Khanum and Khanum had been denied access and reportedly assaulted by police during a protest outside the jail on Nov. 19.
Concerns over Khan’s well-being had intensified last month after the sisters claimed they were manhandled while trying to visit him. Speculation about Khan’s health had mounted amid the access denials, though both government officials and some PTI leaders previously affirmed he was in good condition. A jail official recently told Reuters that Khan was well and that no transfer to a higher-security facility was planned.
One of Khan’s sons told Reuters last week that the family had “no verifiable information at all” about his condition after more than three weeks without contact, expressing fears that “something irreversible” might be hidden.
The encounter came amid intensifying demonstrations by PTI members outside the Islamabad High Court and Adiala jail, protesting what the party described as restrictions on visitation rights for Khan’s family and allies. PTI officials have claimed that no one had been permitted to see Khan or his wife, Bushra Bibi, since Oct. 27.
Caravans of PTI supporters from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where the party governs, were reported en route to Islamabad on Tuesday, according to PTI statements and news footage. The government, anticipating unrest, imposed Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, a measure that prohibits assemblies of four or more people for a limited time. Officials cited intelligence reports and security concerns, including the risk of terrorist exploitation.
Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry, told reporters in Islamabad earlier in the day, that the ban would be enforced without exception. “Whether they come to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) or the Adiala jail, action under Section 144 would be carried out without any discrimination,” he said, urging PTI-backed parliamentarians to “abide by the law.”
During the brief meeting, Khan conveyed several directives to his party through his sister. He instructed PTI to support candidates Salman Akram Raja and Hamid Khan in upcoming Pakistan Bar Council elections and to ensure that Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas are formally notified as opposition leaders in the National Assembly and Senate, respectively.
He further directed the party to back any calls issued by those nominees and to appoint Shahid Khattak as the parliamentary leader of the opposition. On KP chief Minister Sohail Afridi, Khan said he was “very happy and supports him completely.”
In a pointed warning to party members perceived as cooperating with the government, Khan, through his sister, said that his “party members who play on both sides of the wicket have no place here and are the Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq of my party,” invoking historical figures synonymous with betrayal in Pakistani discourse.
Khanum also quoted her brother as blaming Gen. Asim Munir, the army chief, for the ordeal, saying “they are subjecting him to ‘mental torture’, and that Asim Munir is responsible for all of this.”
Aleema Khanum announced that the sisters would stage sit-ins outside Adiala Jail every Tuesday, refusing to leave until six family members and six lawyers are granted access to Khan. PTI members, she said, would continue their own demonstrations every Thursday. The family has also demanded that Khan’s personal physician be allowed to examine him, noting it has been over a year since his last checkup.
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