Rawalpindi, December 16, 2025: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s sisters, along with party leaders, workers and supporters, staged a sit-in on Tuesday near Factory Naka, close to Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, demanding the implementation of a court order allowing meetings with the former prime minister.
The protest comes despite an Islamabad High Court (IHC) order issued on March 24, which directed that meetings with Imran Khan be permitted twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. PTI leaders say the order has repeatedly been ignored by jail authorities.
Imran’s sisters, Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Khan Niazi, along with Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, have attempted several times in recent weeks to meet the incarcerated PTI founder but were denied access. Last Tuesday, after a similar refusal, the family and party supporters staged a sit-in at the same location, which was dispersed in the early hours with the use of water cannons.
On Tuesday, the sisters marched towards Adiala Jail before being stopped by police. Speaking to reporters, Aleema Khan said they would stage the sit-in wherever they were halted. Asked about preparations for a prolonged protest or possible police action, she said she had brought warm clothes and a blanket.
A large number of PTI workers and supporters joined the demonstration amid a heavy police presence. Addressing the media, Aleema Khan said the protest was peaceful and lawful, adding that the party had no option left but to protest.
“This happens every Tuesday at the same place. We are not doing anything illegal or unconstitutional,” she said. “Our founder’s demand is the restoration of the Constitution, democracy and the rule of law.”
She also alleged that judicial independence had been undermined, unemployment was rising due to halted trade with Afghanistan, and the overall security situation was deteriorating.
Referring to Uzma Khan’s brief meeting with Imran Khan on December 2, Aleema questioned the government’s claim that “political conversations” during that meeting violated jail rules. “Tell us what political matters my sister discussed. Political issues should be discussed with the people of the party,” she said.
Imran Khan’s spokesperson on legal affairs, Naeem Haider Panjhuta, also addressed supporters at the site, saying that Tuesday was a designated day for meetings under the court order and jail manual.
“We are waiting for a meeting with Khan sahib, but despite the IHC order, we are not being allowed to see him,” he said in a video message.
PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja, who was present at the sit-in, urged party workers to join the protest in solidarity with Imran Khan’s sisters. “This is not only the responsibility of assembly members. How can the government dictate what can or cannot be discussed in a meeting?” he asked.
Meanwhile, Noreen Niazi said PTI was a peaceful political party and claimed that protesters had been injured during last week’s dispersal using water cannons. She said the party would “do whatever is necessary” to secure Imran Khan’s release, maintaining that he was unlawfully imprisoned.
A livestream shared by PTI on X showed large crowds of supporters waving party flags and chanting slogans as they gathered near the jail.
Imran Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023 and is serving a sentence in a £190 million corruption case. He also faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to the May 9, 2023 protests.
PTI has repeatedly expressed concern about the health and treatment of Imran Khan and his wife during incarceration. Earlier this month, Imran’s son Kasim Khan said he feared authorities were concealing “something irreversible” about his father’s condition. However, Uzma Khan said after meeting him on December 2 that Imran Khan’s health was “perfectly fine,” though she alleged he was being subjected to mental torture and prolonged confinement.
Last week, a United Nations special rapporteur warned that Imran Khan was being held in conditions that could amount to inhuman or degrading treatment, urging Pakistani authorities to comply with international norms. PTI said the report highlighted a “blatant violation of international law and fundamental human rights” in the treatment of its founder.
