Imran Khan’s sisters stage sit-in outside jail

Islamabad: Jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s sisters on Tuesday staged a sit-in outside the Adiala jail after authorities denied them permission to meet their brother.

Khan, 73, has been in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi since August 2023 in multiple cases.

His sisters - Noreen Khan, Aleema Khan and Uzma Khan - went to see him but were stopped from entering the jail premises.

Police said they arrived after official meeting hours had ended, and officers stopped them at a checkpoint. However, instead of returning home, they decided to stage a sit-in along with some leaders of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

Last week, Uzma Khan was allowed to meet her brother for 20 minutes, but after the meeting, she told the media that Khan blamed the army leadership for his troubles.

The army spokesperson, in a fiery press conference, criticised Khan without naming him, even calling him a “narcissist and mentally sick” person.

A heavy contingent of police had been deployed near the jail to tackle any untoward incident. PTI chairman Gohar Khan said that the meeting with Khan was a legal right, supported by multiple court orders. He said that politics should not turn into enmity, nor should political opponents resort to derogatory language.

“When we meet the PTI founder, we will inform him about the situation outside,” he said. The issue of meeting with Khan has been souring ties between the government and the PTI as authorities argue that meetings with Khan are used to gain

political support.