ISLAMABAD: After senior PTI leaders and Imran Khan’s family were once again denied permission to meet the former prime minister at Adiala Jail, party supporters held a sit-in outside the prison on Tuesday.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has permitted Imran Khan’s family to meet him on Tuesdays, while Thursdays have been designated for meetings with party leaders. However, these court directions have reportedly not been implemented for several months.
On Tuesday, Imran Khan’s sisters — Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan, and Noreen Niazi — along with lawyers, PTI leaders, and party workers were stopped by the jail administration when they arrived outside Adiala Jail.
Speaking to the media, Aleema Khan said the country had remained in a state of unrest for the past three years due to Imran Khan’s imprisonment. She stated that “you are being unfair to Pakistan” and added that the entire country was facing a law and order crisis.
Responding to a question about the Gilgit-Baltistan elections, she said the voices of the region’s people were not given space in mainstream media, although information was widely available on social media.
She added that despite this, people in GB had voted in favour of PTI. She claimed this was why people were subjected to baton charges, and why politicians from PPP and PML-N rushed to Gilgit-Baltistan. She further said that in the current era of social media, everyone could see what was happening there.
Aleema Khan said it was the responsibility of all Pakistanis to help save the country and suggested that Imran Khan should be released in order to help resolve the ongoing crises.
When asked whether Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi would go to Adiala Jail, she said it had already been decided that he would instead reach the Parliament House on the day of the federal budget presentation.
Regarding suggestions for negotiations to resolve PTI’s concerns, she referred to recent meetings between PTI Interim Chairman Barrister Gohar and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, saying that no progress had been made.
She also called for public mobilisation, saying that if 10,000 people gathered at Adiala Jail, Imran Khan’s release could be secured.
In a separate development related to a call-up notice, the Islamabad High Court directed authorities on Tuesday to review and explain a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) report in a case involving PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja over alleged misuse of social media.
Justice Raja Inam Ameen Minhas was hearing a petition filed by Raja seeking protection from arrest and harassment in connection with an ongoing inquiry by a joint investigation team (JIT).
During the hearing, Assistant Inspector General (Legal) Tahir Kazim, representing Islamabad police, told the court that the FIA had received a complaint alleging misuse of social media platforms by the petitioner.
However, Justice Minhas pointed to the FIA report on record and observed that it stated no case had yet been registered against Salman Akram Raja.
In response, the AIG submitted that the matter was still at the inquiry stage and FIA proceedings had not yet been completed.
The judge directed the AIG to carefully review the available reports before making arguments before the court. “First go through the reports and then address the court,” Justice Minhas remarked.
After hearing initial arguments, the court adjourned the proceedings until a date to be fixed later.