Post by : Rameen Ariff

For more than a month, the Pakistan government has reportedly stopped all meetings with former prime minister Imran Khan, who has been held in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail since 2023. As rumours about his death spread on social media, concerns grew when his three sisters said they were attacked by police while trying to meet him.

Imran Khan’s sisters — Noreen Khan, Aleema Khan, and Uzma Khan — gathered outside Adiala Jail earlier this week, saying they were peacefully asking authorities to allow them a meeting with their brother. Instead, they alleged that police used force against them. According to the sisters, officers dragged, pushed, and assaulted them after the streetlights in the area were suddenly switched off, leaving them in darkness.

Noreen Khan, who is 71 years old, said she was pulled by her hair, thrown to the ground, and dragged across the road, causing visible injuries. She added that other women present were slapped, pushed, and handled roughly without any reason. The sisters wrote a formal letter to the Punjab police chief, calling the incident a “brutal and orchestrated assault” carried out without provocation.

The sisters said that their peaceful presence outside the jail was only to express concern about Imran Khan’s health, especially after a month-long restriction on all prison meetings and the rise of false reports about his death online. They also said that the police behaviour reflected a worrying pattern of excessive force used against ordinary citizens.

Inside the jail, Imran Khan has reportedly been kept in isolation and solitary confinement. Members of his legal team have claimed that he is being denied books, basic essentials, and regular access to his lawyers. One lawyer described the situation as one where “only those in power have rights,” saying the environment inside the jail is extremely restrictive.

Even senior public officials have not been allowed to meet him. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi reportedly attempted to visit Imran Khan seven times in a row but was denied entry each time by the jail administration.

With no official explanation from the government regarding the ban on meetings and no updates on Imran Khan’s condition, concerns continue to grow among his family and supporters. His sisters have demanded immediate action against the police personnel who allegedly assaulted them and urged authorities to restore their right to meet their brother.

#world news #Global News