Rawalpindi, May 6, 2025: On the designated visiting day at Adiala Jail, two of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s sisters, Azma Khanum and Noreen Khanum, were allowed to meet him, while other family members and senior party leaders were denied access, sparking a day of escalating tensions and confrontations with law enforcement.
Despite a peaceful meeting between Imran Khan and his sisters, confirmed by Noreen Khanum who assured the media that the former prime minister’s health is “completely fine,” the atmosphere outside the prison quickly turned volatile. PTI leaders, including opposition leader Umar Ayub, faced obstruction at the Gorakhpur checkpoint, where a scuffle broke out with police personnel.
Eyewitnesses reported that police officers shoved Umar Ayub and assaulted PTI Chief Whip Amir Dogar, striking him with a baton and tearing his clothes. Speaking to the press, Dogar decried the incident as “the pinnacle of police brutality,” adding, “I am an elected Member of the National Assembly, and our only ‘crime’ is peacefully gathering near Adiala Jail.”
Earlier in the day, police had established roadblocks and carried out vehicle checks along the routes leading to the jail. Several prominent figures, including Mubashira Sheikh (daughter of Bushra Bibi), her sister-in-law Mehr Nisa, Senator Ali Zafar, and Advocate Naeem Haider Panjotha, were also turned away at security checkpoints.
Imran Khan’s spokesperson Niazullah Niazi was stopped at the Dahgal checkpoint, while Aleema Khan, Noreen Niazi, Azma Khanum, and cousin Qasim Khan were denied passage at Gorakhpur. Salman Safdar, one of Imran Khan’s key legal counsels, was also blocked.
As tensions mounted, PTI workers gathered in growing numbers and staged a protest on Adiala Road, disrupting traffic and chanting slogans. Attempts by workers to break through barricades led to violent altercations with police. Aleema Khan reportedly urged workers to proceed on foot toward the jail, prompting further clashes and a police crackdown.
Additional law enforcement, including Anti-Riot Police units, were deployed to contain the situation. Several party workers were arrested as authorities attempted to disperse the crowd before it reached the final barricade near the prison.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja also arrived at the scene amid the unrest. As the standoff continued, the number of protesters swelled, prompting repeated confrontations with police.
The day ended with heightened tensions, traffic disruption, and a renewed sense of confrontation between the PTI and the government over the treatment of its leadership and supporters.
