Uzma Khanum, sister of PTI founder Imran Khan, said on Tuesday that her jailed brother was “perfectly fine” after she was allowed to meet him, putting to rest rumors surrounding the former prime minister’s health.
The prison authorities had allowed him to meet the former prime minister today. She was accompanied by dozens of PTI supporters who gathered outside the jail as Uzma went inside to meet her brother.
In a brief conversation with the media after the meeting, he said, “Imran Khan’s health is perfectly fine. However, he was very angry and said that he was being subjected to mental torture.”
He added that Imran was confined to his cell throughout the day and was only allowed out for a short time. Uzma further said that he was not in communication with anyone and the meeting between them lasted about 30 minutes.
The meeting took place under strict supervision and without mobile devices, he added, without giving further details.
In a separate conversation with the media, flanked by Aleema Khanum and the PTI leader, Uzma said: “When I met him, he was very disturbed and very angry. He said that they kept him and Bushra Bibi in such mental torture in a small room, he said that he was not allowed to meet anyone for four weeks… he said that this mental torture is worse than physical torture.”
He said the PTI founder was even more disturbed when he was informed about the treatment meted out to his sister, Noreen Niazi, a few weeks ago.
Uzma said Imran also gave a message to the party to support the candidates nominated by PTI’s Salman Akram Raja and Hamid Khan for the Pakistan Bar elections, besides ensuring that Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas were notified as leaders of the opposition in the National Assembly and the Senate.
He said Imran had also tasked the PTI to support and follow any call by the two opposition leadership candidates. Uzma added that Imran further ordered that Shahid Khattak be appointed parliamentary leader of the opposition.
“About Sohail Afridi said that he is very happy and fully supports him.”
In a stern warning to PTI members who fraternize with those in the government, he said Imran gave a direction: “Members of my party who play both sides of the wicket have no place here and are the Mir Jafar and Mir Sadiq of my party.”
Meanwhile, Aleema announced the party’s future course of action, saying that the sisters would now sit outside Adiala every Tuesday and would not move until six family members and six lawyers were allowed to meet Imran. Party members would continue their own sit-in every Thursday, he added.
The development comes amid PTI protests today in front of Islamabad High Court and Adiala Jail against restrictions about the former prime minister’s visiting rights. The party had claimed that the former prime minister’s family and party leaders had been denied access to him in recent weeks.
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According to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, no one had been allowed to meet Imran or his wife, Bushra Bibi, since October 27.
Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code was imposed in Islamabad and Rawalpindi before the PTI protests. This is a legal provision that empowers district administrations to prohibit a gathering of four or more people in an area for a limited period.
Tallal’s warning
Earlier today, Minister of State for Home Affairs Tallal Chaudhry said compliance with Section 144 would be ensured in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
“Whether they approach the Islamabad High Court (IHC) or Adiala Jail, the actions under Article 144 will be carried out without any discrimination,” Chaudhry warned while speaking to the media in Islamabad. In particular, he urged PTI-backed parliamentarians to “obey the law”.
Chaudhry said Section 144 had been imposed in the twin cities “in light of intelligence reports”.
He also linked the matter to terrorism, saying: “Terrorists look for cases [which they can use] spread fear and make headlines; be it so [a] political meeting, courts or important places or offices.”
The State Minister further said that terrorists use social media applications, especially for communication. “They use these apps with virtual private networks (VPNs) to hide their identities and locations.”
Thus, Chaudhry continued, the Ministry of Home Affairs had decided that it, together with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), would find a solution to this problem.
“The PTA has issued a detailed press release regarding VPN registration,” he said, adding that the government did not want IT-related companies to be affected by this move. “But it must be done at all costs to ensure that mobile and social media applications are not used for terrorist activities.”
The state minister also recalled that the Peshawar High Court (PHC) had ruled that state resources should not be used for political activities.
Therefore, “we hope that the KP (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) chief minister, who repeatedly comes to Islamabad and Pindi, does not use state resources for his political activities,” he added.
The State Minister stated that “the KP police [only] be used in KP for security reasons.”
“If they come to Islamabad or any other province, prior information will be required in a proper manner. If state resources are used without any information, action will be taken and criminal cases will be registered against government employees.” [concerned]in line with the APS directive,” he warned.
He further stated that Article 144 had been imposed for the protection of lives. “An incident has occurred in Islamabad and threats still exist,” he said.
The minister noted that the PTI had organized protests in Rawalpindi, demanding meetings with Imran, several times.
The administration, he said, is closely monitoring the situation to ensure that the lives of citizens and peace in the city are not affected. “To ensure that such protest gatherings do not cause any loss.”
In this sense, he also recalled the violent protests of May 9, 2023, which took place after Imran’s arrest. “They will do it themselves, like on May 9, and all of Pakistan will face the consequences. They will do it themselves and then deny [any responsibility].”
He maintained that the KP Chief Minister had no authority to demand a meeting with Imran.
Reiterating that Article 144 had been imposed in light of terrorist incidents. “And I hope that it is not made easier for terrorists, that such meetings are held where they can carry out [terror] activities with ease and spread fear in Pakistan. We have adopted foolproof security measures and, God willing, no such incident will occur. But we need the cooperation of other political parties and civil society to guarantee this.”
He again warned that Section 144 would be “strictly enforced” and that action would be taken in light of the APS order if any provincial public official used state resources for political activities.
Asked if Imran would be shifted from Adiala jail to a prison in Islamabad, Chaudhry said: “It is too early to say anything.”
The minister said that the construction of the prison is in its final stages, after which staff will need to be trained. “This jail is not being built for just one prison. It was necessary in Islamabad as prisoners from the federal capital had to be sent to jails elsewhere,” he added.
He also said that if the authorities received all the necessary documents and “the tracking number, Imran’s children would receive visas in the next 24 hours.”
Security is reinforced in Pindi
Rawalpindi police said effective measures had been taken to ensure law and order in the city. In a statement, police said at least 3,000 security officers were carrying out traffic and other security duties.
“Section 144 has been imposed throughout Rawalpindi for three days, which restricts illegal gatherings, rallies and protests,” he said.
He added that Rawalpindi police would strictly deal with law breakers and ensure implementation of Section 144 to maintain law and order in the city.
Reports from the twin cities said pickets were set up on the routes leading to Adiala jail. Meanwhile, roads leading to the Red Zone, which houses key government buildings, from the Serena Hotel and the National Database and Registration Authority office, were also reported to have been blocked.
PTI leader Asad Qaiser on Monday said opposition lawmakers from both houses of parliament will protest outside the IHC before taking their rally to Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. “It has been decided to hold protests as IHC has not implemented its order and the Adiala jail administration is not willing to implement the court orders,” he said.
Lawyer Gohar Ali Khan and other leaders will organize protests in the twin cities, Qaiser said.
Last week, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi staged a sit-in outside the prison after being banned from meeting Imran for the eighth time.
Imran’s sisters too staged sit-ins outside Rawalpindi prison on multiple occasions after they were banned from meeting the former prime minister.
The PTI also alleged that the police manhandled and “violently detained” Imran’s sisters after they, along with other party members and sympathizers, held a protest outside the jail on November 19.
There was also speculation about his health, but the government and PTI leaders had said that he was in good health.
