By Staff Reporter
RAWALPINDI: Supporters of the imprisoned former prime minister, Imran Khan, including his sister Aleema Khan, staged a defiant sit-in on Tuesday outside a police barricade in Rawalpindi, protesting what they described as the government’s unlawful denial of access to him at Adiala Jail.
The demonstration, which unfolded at Factory Naka and persisted at least until 7 pm, marked the latest in a series of weekly confrontations between Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, and security forces. A video posted on the party’s official X account captured dozens of workers chanting “Prime minister Imran Khan” as they gathered behind a riot fence erected by the police. The sit-in came amid escalating tensions over Khan’s incarceration, with his family and allies accusing the authorities of isolating him in “solitary confinement” and flouting court orders allowing visits on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Over recent weeks, similar protests near the prison complex have been met with forceful responses, including water cannons and baton charges by the police.
A livestream broadcast by PTI earlier in the day showed crowds of supporters marching along Adiala Road, waving Pakistani and party flags, before being halted at the fence. There, they raised slogans in support of Khan, who has been held since August 2023 and is serving a 14-year sentence in a corruption case involving £190 million. He also faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to protests on May 9, 2023. His wife, Bushra Bibi, is serving a seven-year term in the same corruption case.
Speaking to reporters at the scene, Aleema Khan lambasted the government’s tactics. “The government had become so fearful of Imran’s message that they had resorted to breaking the law,” she said, pointing to the heavy police presence. She added that the authorities “are afraid of Imran, which is why they have jailed him.”
Aleema Khan dismissed reports of potential negotiations between PTI and the government, particularly in reference to a statement following a two-day conference of the Tehreek-e-Tahafuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan alliance, or TTAP. “It was not a statement,” she said. “The PTI people are saying that they want to negotiate (with the government), I responded by saying that Imran Khan has instructed Sohail Afridi to take to the streets and lead a movement.”
She noted that this directive came via Salman Safdar, a lawyer who represented Khan during his conviction on Saturday in the Toshakhana 2 case, involving state gifts. “Whoever says that we should negotiate with the government after Imran gave these instructions, they cannot be a member of Imran Khan’s party,” Aleema Khan said. “We will sit here and we will not leave Imran Khan.” She emphasised that the ban on visits undermined any basis for dialogue, asking what the government could possibly want to negotiate under such circumstances.
PTI’s secretary general, Salman Akram Raja said the party’s struggle “is now a national one for democracy and judicial independence”. Khan’s recent conviction, Raja called the punishments “unlawful and wrong,” insisting they stemmed from “false cases.” “We are standing against a system of lies and will file appeals. But the true cases will be fought in the public’s court and Allah’s court.”
Raja predicted that Khan “would be released when the people decide on this case.” On the prospect of street protests, he said Khan had instructed Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s chief minister, Sohail Afridi, to lead a movement in the province. “Sohail Afridi is ready and this will occur soon,” he said, adding that a similar push would follow in Punjab.
He categorically denied reports of internal party authorisation for negotiations with the government. “These are false reports; Imran has given nobody in the party the power to start talks with the government,” Raja said. He clarified that only TTAP chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Senator Allama Nasir held such authority. “Achakzai sahib gave his statement during the conference. He said that he will not negotiate with people who break into and rob his house.” Raja reaffirmed PTI’s stance that the February 8 elections were “stolen,” vowing the party would uphold its principles.
The repeated denials of prison visits have fueled concerns about Mr. Khan’s treatment inside Adiala Jail. His family and party members have voiced fears over his conditions, a worry amplified by a United Nations special rapporteur who has warned that his detention could constitute inhuman or degrading treatment. On Monday, the parliamentary affairs minister, Tariq Fazal Chaudhry, said meetings with Khan would remain suspended until February 8, further intensifying the standoff.
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