NEW DELHI: Authorities at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail on Tuesday allowed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s sister, Uzma Khanum, to meet him, breaking weeks of restricted access that had prompted protests by PTI supporters and family members. According to Pakistan news website Dawn, Uzma entered the prison in the afternoon as several PTI workers gathered outside the jail premises demanding transparency about Imran’s condition.The meeting came on a day when PTI had already planned demonstrations outside the Islamabad High Court and Adiala Jail to protest what it called unjustified curbs on Imran Khan’s visitation rights. The family and party members had been denied meetings for several weeks despite an earlier Islamabad High Court order permitting twice-weekly visits.Earlier, Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan had filed a contempt petition against the Adiala Jail superintendent and senior officials for allegedly defying the court’s directions. The petition said authorities had repeatedly blocked visits by family, lawyers and PTI leaders since March. Jail officials have maintained that Imran remains in Adiala Jail in good health.The confrontation escalated after Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Sohail Afridi was barred from meeting Imran for the eighth consecutive time, prompting him to lead a sit-in outside the prison. PTI continues to demand clarity on Imran’s health and direct access for his family.Concerns had intensified last week after Imran’s sisters were allegedly assaulted by Punjab police while staging a peaceful demonstration outside Adiala Jail. Noreen Niazi said, “We peacefully protested over concerns for his health condition. We neither blocked roads nor obstructed public movement, nor engaged in any unlawful conduct. Yet, without warning or provocation, the streetlights in the area were abruptly switched off, deliberately casting the scene into darkness. What followed was a brutal and orchestrated assault by Punjab police personnel.”Noreen added, “At the age of 71, I was seized by my hair, thrown violently to the ground, and dragged across the road, sustaining visible injuries.” She accused police of slapping and dragging other women, calling it “part of a broader and troubling pattern of indiscriminate force used against peacefully protesting citizens over three years.”Rumours around Imran’s well-being surged after unverified Afghan media reports claimed he had died in custody. His son, Kasim Khan, demanded proof of his father’s safety, saying on X that Imran has now spent 845 days in prison and the last six weeks in a death cell without any family contact.Imran Khan has been jailed since August 2023 in multiple cases, and authorities have enforced strict access restrictions for more than a month. PTI alleges these restrictions are being imposed under the influence of an army officer, a claim that authorities have denied. The party says the latest permission granted to Uzma Khanum is only the first step and has demanded regular, unhindered access as ordered by the court.
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