Uzma Khanum, sister of PTI founder Imran Khan, said on Tuesday her incarcerated brother was “perfectly fine” after she was allowed to meet him, putting to rest rumours surrounding the former premier’s health.
Prison authorities had allowed her to meet the former prime minister today. She was accompanied by scores of PTI supporters who gathered outside the jail as Uzma went inside the prison to meet her brother.
In a short talk with the media after the meeting, she 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 Imran was confined to his cell throughout the day and was allowed only a short time outside. Uzma further said that he was not in communication with anyone, and the meeting between them lasted around 30 minutes.
The meeting took place under strict supervision and without mobile devices, she added, declining to provide further details.
In a separate talk with the media, flanked by Aleema Khanum and PTI leaders, Uzma said: “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.”
She added the PTI founder was even more disturbed when 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, along with ensuring that Mehmood Khan Achakzai and Senator Allama Raja Nasir Abbas were notified as the opposition leaders in the National Assembly and Senate.
She further said Imran had also tasked the PTI with supporting and following any call by the two nominees for the opposition leaders. Uzma added that Imran further directed that Shahid Khattak be made the parliamentary leader of the opposition.
“About Sohail Afridi, he said that he is very happy and supports him completely.”
In a strict warning for PTI members seen fraternising with those from the government, she said Imran gave one direction: “My 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.”
Meanwhile, Aleema announced the party’s future course of action, saying the sisters would now sit outside Adiala every Tuesday and would not move until six family members and just as many lawyers were allowed to meet Imran. Party members would continue their own sit-in every Thursday, she added.
The development comes following the PTI’s protests outside the Islamabad High Court (IHC) and the Adiala jail today against restrictions on the former prime minister’s visitation rights. The party had claimed that the ex-premier’s family and party leaders had been denied access to him for the last several weeks.
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 ahead of PTI’s protests. It is a legal provision that empowers district administrations to prohibit an assembly of four or more people in an area for a limited period.
Tallal’s warning
Earlier today, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry said that compliance with Section 144 would be ensured in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.
“Whether they come to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) or the Adiala jail, action under Section 144 would be carried out without any discrimination,” Chaudhry warned while speaking to the media in Islamabad. He particularly urged PTI-backed parliamentarians to “abide by the law”.
Chaudhry said Section 144 had been imposed in the twin cities “in light of intelligence reports”.
He further linked the matter to terrorism, saying: “Terrorists look for instances [which they can use] to spread fear and make headlines; be it [a] political gathering, courts or important places or offices.”
The state minister further said that terrorists used social media applications, particularly for communication. “They use these apps with virtual private networks (VPNs) to hide their identities and locations.”
So, Chaudhry continued, the interior ministry had decided that it, along with the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), would find a solution to this problem.
“The PTA has issued a detailed press release regarding the registration of VPNs,” he said, adding that the government did not want IT-related businesses to be affected by this measure. “But, it has to be done at any cost to ensure that mobile and social media apps are not used for terrorist activities.”
The state minister also recalled that the Peshawar High Court (PHC) had ruled that state resources were not to be used for political activities.
So, “we hope that the KP (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) chief minister, who repeatedly comes to Islamabad and Pindi, will not use state resources for his political activities”, he added.
The state minister asserted that “KP police will [only] be used in KP for security”.
“If they come to Islamabad or any other province, prior intimation will be required in a proper manner. If any state resources are used without any intimation, action will be taken and criminal cases will be registered against government employees [concerned], in line with the PHC’s directive,” he warned.
He further stated that Section 144 had been imposed for the protection of lives. “An incident has occurred in Islamabad, and threats still exist,” he said.
The minister pointed out that the PTI had staged protests in Rawalpindi, demanding meetings with Imran, several times.
The administration, he said, was closely monitoring the situation to ensure that citizens’ lives and peace in the city were not affected. “To ensure that such gatherings of protests do not cause any loss.”
Here, he also recalled the violent protests of May 9, 2023, which were held after Imran’s arrest. “They will do it themselves just like on May 9, and entire Pakistan will face the consequences. They will do it themselves, and will then deny [any responsibility].”
He maintained that KP Chief Minister had no authority to demand a meeting with Imran.
Reiterating that Section 144 had been imposed in light of terror incidents. “And I hope that terrorists will not be facilitated — that such gatherings are held where they could carry out [terror] activities with ease and spread fear in Pakistan. We have made foolproof security arrangements, and God willing, no such incident will take place. But, we need the cooperation of other political parties and civil society to ensure this.”
He again warned Section 144 would be “strictly imposed” and action would be taken in light of the PHC order if any provincial public office holder used state resources for political activities.
To a question about whether Imran would be shifted from the Adiala jail to a prison in Islamabad, Chaudhry said: “It is too early to say anything.”
The minister said that the prison’s construction was in its last stages, after which its staff would have to be trained. “That jail is not being constructed for just one prison. It was needed in Islamabad as prisoners from the federal capital had to be sent to jails elsewhere,” he added.
He also said if the authorities were provided all the necessary documents and “tracking number, Imran’s sons would be issued visas in the next 24 hours”.
Security beefed up in Pindi
Rawalpindi police said effective arrangements had been made to ensure law and order in the city. In a statement, police said at least 3,000 security officers were performing traffic and other security duties.
“Section 144 has been imposed across Rawalpindi for three days which restricts unlawful assembly, rally and protest,” it said.
It added that Rawalpindi police would deal strictly with those who breached the law and it would ensure the implementation of Section 144 to maintain law and order in the city.
Reports from the twin cities said pickets were set up on routes leading to the Adiala jail. Meanwhile, roads leading to the Red Zone, which houses key government buildings, from Serena Hotel and the National Database and Registration Authority office were also reported to have been blocked.
PTI leader Asad Qaiser said on Monday the opposition lawmakers from both houses of parliament will protest outside the IHC before taking their demonstration to Adiala jail in Rawalpindi. “It has been decided to hold protests because IHC has failed to implement its order and the Adiala jail administration is not willing to implement the court orders,” he said.
Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and other leaders will stage protests in the twin cities, Qaiser said.
Last week, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi had staged a sit-in outside the prison after he was barred from meeting Imran for the eighth time.
Imran’s sisters had also staged sit-ins outside the prison in Rawalpindi on multiple occasions after they were barred from meeting the former premier.
The PTI also alleged that police manhandled and “violently detained” Imran’s sisters after they, along with other party members and supporters, held a protest outside the jail on November 19.
There were also speculations about his health, but the government and the PTI leaders had said that he was in good health.
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