Rawalpindi, November 19, 2025: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) on Tuesday night accused Rawalpindi police of manhandling and “violently detaining” former prime minister Imran Khan’s sisters outside Adiala jail, where they had staged a sit-in after being denied a weekly court-mandated meeting with the PTI founder.
PTI leaders and Imran’s sisters — Aleema Khan, Noreen Niazi and Dr Uzma Khan — had gathered outside the prison earlier in the day after jail authorities reportedly refused to allow them entry. The party held a protest outside the facility, criticising the administration for what it termed a violation of the court order regarding weekly family visits.
In a post on X after midnight, the party claimed that the three sisters were “sitting peacefully” when police officials launched an operation to disperse them. It added that KP Local Government Minister Meena Khan Afridi, MNA Shahid Khattak and several women workers were also “subjected to violence and picked up by police”.
PTI videos shared on social media showed Aleema and Uzma attempting to support Noreen, who appeared visibly shaken. In another clip, Noreen alleged that female police officials “grabbed her by the hair” and forced her to the ground. Aleema said her sister was “practically unconscious” as she was dragged on the road.
“The way the women dragged us, ripped away our chaddors … they should be ashamed,” Aleema said, adding that such tactics would not deter the family or the party.
PTI also claimed that the area where the sisters were seated was “deliberately flooded with water” and that lights were turned off before police moved in. The party described the incident as “inhumane, unlawful, and disgraceful”, calling it an “unprecedented assault on basic human dignity”.
It further alleged that the family was denied the meeting because “Asim Munir’s notification has not yet been signed”.
Police version
A senior Rawalpindi police official, however, rejected the allegations, saying that “no action was taken” against PTI protesters and that officials only cleared the road that was being blocked. “There was no manhandling,” he insisted.
Strong political and civil society reaction
The alleged manhandling sparked widespread condemnation from political figures, journalists and rights activists.
KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi called the incident “deeply condemnable”, adding that attempts to arrest PTI lawmakers showed that matters were “moving towards a point of no return”.
Former president Arif Alvi said the violation of the “sanctity of a woman’s veil” was unacceptable, asserting that the sisters’ only fault was seeking to meet their brother.
Activist and lawyer Jibran Nasir linked the incident to what he described as a broader pattern of “systematic humiliation”, stating: “It is a fallacy to think this is Imran Khan’s humiliation alone. It is our collective humiliation.”
Senior journalist Hamid Mir said the treatment meted out to Imran’s family was damaging Pakistan’s image internationally and making it difficult for diplomats to defend the government at global forums.
Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen leader Allama Raja Nasir Abbas termed the police action a “slap in the face of humanity”, while PTI leaders Sher Afzal Marwat and Zulfikar Bukhari denounced the incident as “brutal, unlawful, and disgraceful”.
Imran Khan remains incarcerated at Adiala jail in multiple cases. Weekly family visits have been a contentious issue in recent months, with PTI repeatedly accusing authorities of obstructing access.
