Imran physically fit but 'mentally tortured,' says Uzma Khanum

Jail admin permits meeting with one person after repeated denials despite court orders granting visitation rights

Dr Uzma Khanum, sister of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan, said that her brother is in good health after her long-awaited meeting with the former prime minister at Adiala Jail on Tuesday.

The meeting, held in a special room, lasted 37 minutes. Speaking to reporters outside the facility, she said the interaction had gone well and reassured supporters about his condition, confirming that the former premier was in good health. “Alhamdulillah, his condition is fine and he is fully recovering,” she stated, offering a rare on-record update amid persistent concerns over his wellbeing.

According to Dr Uzma, the PTI founder told her that he was neither being allowed to speak to anyone nor permitted regular meetings. “They are subjecting me to mental torture. One person is responsible for all of this,” she quoted him as saying.

Read More: PTI vents fury in Senate over meeting denial with 'isolated' Imran

Dr Uzma said Imran appeared visibly angry during the meeting, claiming he is kept confined to his room throughout the day and is only occasionally allowed outside adding that although his physical health was stable, he believed mental torture was worse than physical harm. She added that Khan was distressed after hearing about alleged mistreatment of Noreen Khan, and that Bushra Bibi was also being kept in solitary confinement.

She further said Khan also expressed respect for Tehreek-e-Tahaffuz-e-Ain Pakistan (TTAP) Chief Mehmood Khan Achakzai and his deputy Allama Raja Nasir Abbas, saying they would remain leaders of the opposition.

He instructed PTI to protest before the speaker of the National Assembly and the chairman Senate and to press for issuance of notifications confirming their positions, expressing surprise that they had not yet been issued. She said Khan had assigned responsibility for the movement to Achakzai and Abbas, calling them leaders of the alliance.

Dr Uzma said Khan had nominated Shahid Khattak as the parliamentary leader in the National Assembly and told Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to “play on the front foot” while describing him as angry and distressed due to what she termed prolonged solitary confinement. She added that Khan criticised party members who, in her words, were “socialising with those who put us in jail,” saying such individuals had no place in the party.

Read more: Section 144 imposed in twin cities amid PTI protests outside Adiala jail, IHC

Also speaking to the media, Aleema Khan said the family had prepared a clear course of action and insisted that the ongoing 'tamasha' (drama) must end. She said the family would hold meetings every Tuesday, while party members would assemble on Thursdays, until the court restores the order allowing six family members to meet Imran Khan.

Aleema said a message would be sent to jail authorities each Tuesday to ensure that six family members and six lawyers are allowed to meet. On Thursdays, six authorised party members will also be permitted to meet him, she said, adding that CM Afridi—who holds a court order for a meeting—would also attend on Thursday.

A large number of PTI leaders and workers gathered outside Adiala Jail from 2:30pm to 8pm, chanting slogans throughout the visit. All routes leading to the facility were sealed for the duration. Following the meeting, Khan’s three sisters also spoke to the media.

Today was the scheduled visitation day for Imran and Bushra Bibi. The founder’s sisters arrived at the Gorakhpur checkpoint, accompanied by Barrister Salman Akram Raja and a large number of party supporters. However, the jail administration permitted visitation for only one person, as the authorities restored visitation rights after 29 days.

The Islamabad Capital Territory administration and District Administration Rawalpindi imposed Section 144 across the cities on Monday after PTI announced a protest outside Adiala Jail and the Islamabad High Court for Tuesday (today).

Aleema moves IHC

Aleema filed a contempt of court petition against the Adiala Jail authorities last week for allegedly defying a binding IHC order that permits meetings with Imran Khan.

The plea came against the backdrop of intensifying tensions outside Adiala Jail, where K-P Chief Minister Sohail Afridi and a group of PTI lawmakers had staged an overnight sit-in after Afridi was denied access to Imran for the eighth consecutive time on Thursday.

The PTI leadership claims that the refusal to allow meetings has turned into a systematic policy of political punishment, despite clear judicial directions.

The petition names Adiala Jail Superintendent Abdul Ghafoor Anjum, Saddar Beroni Station House Officer Raja Aizaz Azeem, Federal Interior Secretary Capt (retd) Muhammad Khurram Agha, and Punjab Home Department Secretary Noorul Amin as respondents.

Earlier, Aleema and CM Afridi went to the IHC to seek an audience with the court's top judge. Speaking to the media outside the court, Afridi claimed they were informed that the chief justice "did not want to meet them".