RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan has raised sharp alarms over the ongoing restrictions preventing access to party founder Imran Khan, stating that the former prime minister has been barred from any visitors for the past 37 weeks.
Speaking to media near the Dahgal checkpoint outside the Adiala Jail on Tuesday, the PTI chief warned that the protracted denial of family meetings is fueling significant anxieties within the party ranks and risks severely exacerbating the country’s current political friction. He said recent negotiations with government representatives regarding family access stalled over strict preconditions. PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Khan said the government’s proposal to allow a meeting between Imran Khan and only one of his sisters, subject to a written undertaking against discussing political matters, was rejected by the family. He said access for immediate family members was a legal right and claimed that while Bushra Bibi’s family had been allowed to meet her, similar arrangements were not extended to Imran Khan.
Gohar said neither Imran Khan nor Bushra Bibi had lodged formal complaints despite medical issues, adding that Imran had been shifted to hospital five times during his imprisonment, while Bushra had undergone three medical check-ups. He said PTI’s decisions, including its boycott of Azad Jammu and Kashmir elections, were being taken through internal consultation due to restrictions on meeting Imran Khan.
He rejected claims of internal divisions within PTI and said the party opposed any anti-state narrative or rhetoric harmful to the Kashmir cause. He also expressed concern over the conclusion of the trial involving Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan.
Meanwhile, a PTI protest outside Adiala Jail turned chaotic after party workers clashed among themselves during a sit-in led by Imran Khan’s sisters after they were denied permission to meet him. Several workers were injured, clothes were torn during the scuffle, and police detained two supporters.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Shafi Jan said more than 60,000 people had registered for a special “Release Force” aimed at securing Imran Khan’s release. He said the movement required organisation across all provinces and warned party officials unable to fulfil their responsibilities to step aside.
Separately, Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi held a half-hour meeting at Adiala Jail after special permission was granted by prison authorities. Bushra also met her family members before meeting Imran. ater, Aleema Khan announced that PTI workers would no longer be called for sit-ins outside Adiala Jail. She said only Imran Khan’s three sisters and designated party leaders would visit the prison under the official meeting arrangement. She said the protest marked the beginning of a street movement, with future messages to be conveyed through Imran Khan’s official X account, while district-level party leadership would be responsible for mobilising support.
