Adiala Jail Scene Turns Chaotic as Supporters Demand Former PM Imran Khan’s Release

Tensions flared outside Adiala Jail on Tuesday as thousands of supporters of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and members of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) gathered to seek information about the jailed leader’s condition. In response to mounting public pressure, the military government deployed hundreds of additional personnel to reinforce prison security.

Earlier, Khan’s sisters, Aleema Khan, Dr. Uzma, and Noreen Niazi, along with party leaders including Salman Akram Raja, Tehreek Tahaffuz-e-Aain-e-Pakistan (TTAP) head Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, PTI MNA Shahid Khattak, provincial minister Meena Khan, and hundreds of party workers, staged a sit-in near the factory checkpoint. The protest was sparked after authorities denied them permission to meet Khan on the scheduled visitation day.

Large crowds joined the demonstration, condemning the government and chanting slogans demanding the release of the former prime minister.

A heavy contingent of police was deployed to prevent Khan’s sisters and supporters from approaching the main gate of Adiala Jail, keeping the crowd under strict control.

Aleema Khan Condemns Alleged Police Manhandling During Jail Sit-In

Aleema Khan, the sister of former Prime Minister Imran Khan, condemned the treatment meted out to her and her sisters during a protest outside Adiala Jail. The sit-in, which reportedly lasted for 10 hours, was staged after the sisters were denied permission to meet Khan on the scheduled visitation day.

According to reports, police allegedly manhandled the sisters, taking them into custody amid the demonstration. Aleema Khan also criticised the behaviour of female police personnel in a previous incident, calling it “shameless.”

Sources said that when Noreen Khan and her sisters arrived at the jail for the scheduled meeting, they were made to wait for hours. Following this delay, the sisters staged a sit-in outside the prison before being detained. News agencies reported that Noreen Khan was dragged by her hair across the road and pushed to the ground, while her other two sisters were reportedly manhandled during the chaos.

After her release from detention, Noreen Khan said, “She grabbed my arm and dragged me by my legs. It is tragic that they could stoop to this level. The Punjab police are behaving like savages.”

Khan Sisters Write to Punjab Police Over Alleged Assault

Following the alleged manhandling, Imran Khan’s sisters wrote to Punjab Police Chief Usman Anwar, describing the violence as “brutal and orchestrated” and carried out “without provocation.” In the letter, they demanded that the IGP Punjab immediately initiate proceedings against all police personnel involved in the assault.

Imran Khan, the patron-in-chief of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has been in jail since August 2023, facing multiple cases. Even Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was reportedly denied permission to meet Khan, despite making seven consecutive attempts. Khan has claimed that the jail authorities, who blocked the meetings, are under the control of an army officer.

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