RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan delivered a scathing critique on Tuesday, accusing authorities of obstructing fundamental rights and enforcing an unofficial media blackout.
Speaking to journalists at the Gorakhpur checkpoint near Adiala jail — where security remains tight — Aleema Khan questioned the legal and moral basis for the continued detention of the former prime minister.
She expressed deep frustration over persistent barriers preventing family and lawyers from meeting him, stating that even basic rights are being denied.Aleema noted physical blockades around the Adiala jail, saying “roads have been blocked and trucks have been parked” to prevent access. The family has vowed to remain at the checkpoint until formal permission for a meeting is granted.
In a pointed attack on the administration, she suggested the refusal to release her brother stems from a “visible fear” of his influence. “The longer Imran Khan is kept in jail, the more the fear becomes evident,” she remarked.
She also contrasted domestic media coverage with international news, alleging Pakistani outlets avoid mentioning Imran Khan while extensively covering figures like Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Aleema linked political instability to public hardship, noting surging unemployment alongside rapid development of elite housing societies. She said her brother “has been kept in solitary confinement; what will they get by keeping him in prison?” She pointed out that “the Constitution is clear about continuous solitary confinement.”
“They are afraid of the founder because he will come out and talk about the freedom of the people,” she claimed. She added that “the country’s economy has been destroyed” and urged the police “not to obey illegal orders.” Criticising the government, she said “the country is not being managed by them and that people are fed up with them.”
Meanwhile, tensions escalated outside Adiala jail on Tuesday as Imran’s sisters staged a sit-in alongside party leaders after authorities once again denied them scheduled access to the former prime minister.
Following the jail administration’s refusal to facilitate the meeting, Aleema Khan, Uzma Khan and Noreen Khan initiated a sit-in on the road. They were joined by senior PTI figures, including Secretary General Barrister Salman Akram Raja, Shaukat Basra and Shandana Gulzar.
The sit-in continued late into the afternoon, with PTI leaders urging law enforcement officers to refrain from following what they termed “illegal orders” to obstruct peaceful political and familial gatherings.
